Suicide SKWAD
by PossiblyInDanger
Summary: A retelling of the events infamous Suicide Squad movie, but with some added/removed characters, and holes in the story filled in. Characters are a combination of their onscreen portrayals and comic-book counterparts. If you like Suicide Squad, action, romance, and mediocre writing, you're in the right place!
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Belle Reve

You'd have to be insane to take a job at Belle Reve Penitentiary. For starters, it's a government run prison, so the pay is shit. It's also in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by swamps in good ole' Lousiana. It's a pain to get to, and the closest town is an hour away. For those reasons alone, most people would choose to find work elsewhere. Most people see that they aren't getting the best deal in the world before you add in the fact that Belle Reve is home to the world's worst supervillains. Griggs wasn't most people.

Captain Griggs was in charge of Belle Reve, and he ran it however he pleased. His heart was full of hate, probably more so than some of the prisoners he tortured. He didn't exactly believe in rehabilitation or redemption. He believed that mercilessly abusing inmates was right; he believed they deserved to feel like they were in hell. It was the perfect job for him; he was sadistic as they came. Within weeks of receiving a new inmate, he had found the perfect way to push them to their limit. He was talented, that was something everyone agreed on whether they liked Griggs or not.

Virtually every long-term employee of Belle Reve shared the trait of sadism with Griggs. It was not a job one could handle if they didn't enjoy inflicting pain. You have to understand, not everyone hired for the job realized that. Most who were hired were gone by their second week, either by resignation or an "unfortunate accident" involving an inmate. Griggs had been in charge for years already, and he wasn't going anywhere. He was one of the few constants at the penitentiary, one of the few things the inmates could always count on every single day.

Griggs sounds intimidating. If you heard of him and had no idea what he looked like, I'm sure you would make some assumptions. Tall, very muscular, clean shaven, buzzcut. Typical military type. You would be wrong on nearly all counts. Griggs was tall, but he wasn't particularly muscular. His physique wasn't something that was intimidating in itself- he was rather average looking. His hair was dark, but not too short. He had a mustache and goatee, but his cheeks were bare. He was probably somewhere in his mid-thirties, but his age was hard to tell. When off the job, he liked to wear silk T-shirts, gold necklaces, and old sports jackets. Essentially, he looked like a douchey wannabe. He didn't look scary; he just looked obnoxious. In reality, he was both.

One of Grigg's favorite inmates was a Mr. Floyd Lawton, better known as paid hitman Deadshot. Lawton was a thirty-something black man with a shaved head and short beard. He had remained fit despite being locked up thanks to the gym equipment he was allowed access to, mainly a punching bag. He had issues with authority, something that Griggs used for entertainment. It was a regular occurrence for Griggs to provoke Lawton by taunting, which resulted in Lawton being punished for lashing out. Punishments were usually made up brutal beatings by many guards, led by Griggs.

Second on the list of favorites was Harley Quinn, legally Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Harley was enjoyed for very different reasons. She was what many would consider attractive. Tall, slim, blonde, full lips, big eyes. And completely batshit crazy. Her physical appearance and mental instability made her an easy target for sexual harassment. Not that she necessarily hated the attention of men, she often welcomed and encouraged it. It just depended on which if the voices in her head was speaking the loudest. Griggs enjoyed her no matter her mood, as he was ultimately in control. If she was getting too aggressive for comfort, he could immediately send her an electrical shock strong enough to knock her unconscious for several minutes.

Not every inmate was treated with violence. Some were punished in other ways, like George "Digger" Harkness. Captain Boomerang may have been new, but he already was left to rot alone in solitary confinement, with nearly zero contact with other humans. He was simply too confrontational with everyone, always looking for a fight. It wasn't as fun for Grigg's to beat someone when they refused to show any sign of defeat. Boomerang egged him on like a frat boy. He would ask for more as if to prove something about his own strength and capacity for pain. Unfortunately for him, his refusal to show pain got him stuck in a situation where he had lost all privileges.

Killer Croc, one of the Metahumans in Belle Reve, had a similar fate. He was too large and animalistic to restrain regularly, which meant lots of time alone in his cell. The incident where he consumed a guard's hand in one bite didn't help him out, either. Griggs and his lackeys avoided direct interaction with Croc, instead only feeding him from above, a safe distance away from the massive, scaly thug.

Belle Reve wasn't run like a regular prison; it was run with little regard for human life. Its purpose was to keep criminals scared and trapped. Griggs ruled with an iron fist, answering to no one except Amanda Waller.

Amanda Waller was about to have some very bad news for Griggs; his kingdom was about to be emptied out. It was time to put these criminals... These villains, to work. The world was at risk of being attacked by evil metahumans at all times; it needed protectors. And who could protect the world better than those who enjoy causing chaos on it themselves?

It was time for Task Force X to rise. It was time for the age of the squad.

The Suicide Skwad.

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Thanks for reading (the very short) first chapter! Reviews welcome and appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2: SKWAD Meet

Seven Days Before Mission 1 

"I already told you, I ain't no fucking weapon." Chato Santana shook his head as he was shoved into the open yard of Belle Reve. He was pissed, and understandably. He had vowed to never use his abilities for destruction again, to never hurt another person again. Yet here he was, being forced into some ridiculous task force.

"Can it, Diablo. You're a weapon as long as we say you're a weapon." Colonel Rick Flag was standing in the center of the yard. He was tall, imposing, and heavily armed. He was holding a fully automatic rifle in his hands, and he had several other guns holstered to his body. He was scanning the occupants of the yard, looking each one over slowly, familiarizing himself with them. "I think you all pretty much know why you're here. You've been chosen to serve your country as an elite group of weaponized humans."

A hand shot up in the air, instantly drawing everyone's attention. "Yeah, I think there's been a mistake, mate. This isn't really my country." Captain Boomerang smirked at his words, revealing a shiny piece of silver in the place of his left front tooth. "So I think I should definitely get to be excused from this whole mess."

"You've been robbing banks in this country for years. If our money is good enough for you, then you can fight for us." Flag was quick to shoot back at Boomerang. He was going to make it painfully clear that he was in charge.

"Fuckin' Americans..." Boomerang shook his head and muttered to himself. "I'm not even a bloody citizen."

"Now that that is crystal clear," Flag glared in Boomerang's direction before returning his attention to the group as a whole. "You may have noticed a little injection we gave each of you. You all now have nano-explosives in your necks. They're the size of a grain of rice, but they'll deal the same damage as a grenade. I'm sure you can all imagine what a grenade going off in your neck would do."

"So you're threatening to kill us?" It was Deadshot who was speaking up now. "Cause that sounded a lot like a threat."

"I'm telling you how it is. If you ever try to escape, hurt one of my men, hurt each other, or otherwise piss me off, you will die." Flag smirked and rolled his shoulders back, feeling slightly more comfortable as the leader of Task Force X. "For those of you I haven't personally met, my name is Colonel Rick Flag. I'll be in charge when we go out on missions. You will follow my orders. If anyone has a problem with that, too bad."

"I understand the team thing, like, I get that we're all supposed to work together on dangerous missions, but... Why are we here now?" Harley had pursed her lips together and tilted her head to the side. "Are you sending us out already?"

"No, you don't have a mission assigned yet. You're all here to familiarize yourselves with one another. It'll be easier to work together if you know who you are." Flag examined Harley, thinking for a moment before he spoke again. "I think everyone knows who you are."

"Well, I would hope so! I'm kind of a big deal." Harley smiled back at Flag, twirling one of her pigtails in between her fingers. "No offense to anyone else here, but I don't really know any of you."

"This bitch has got to be kidding me!" A young woman who had previously been silent chuckled. "How can you work with the J-Man and not know anyone else in the crime world? Half of us are from Gotham! You shared turf with a lot of us."

"Look, I understand why you would think that I would know you, but I don't. Can't really change that." Harley didn't seem phased by the use of the term 'bitch.' She didn't seem to notice she'd been insulted at all, actually.

"I'm from Gotham, and I don't know who you think you are, and I do know people. I could tell you who every other motherfucker here is." Deadshot, on the other hand, did not seem happy by the mystery girl's words. "So why don't you go ahead and tell us."

"Seriously? Is Croc the only one who knows me?" The girl seemed taken aback by the news. She looked at the hulking beast that was Croc for back-up. "Come on man, tell them you know me."

Killer Croc gave a slight nod and grunted in return. It wasn't words, but it was an affirmative, so that was something.

"Someone might know you, but we still don't know who you are." Diablo had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was staring this girl down. "If you aren't gonna tell us, don't speak up, homie. Doesn't do any of us any good."

Croc must have thought that was funny, as he let out a deep, bellowing laugh.

The girl shot Croc what must have been a warning look. "You know Waylon, for all the years we worked together; you sure could help me out a little here."

"I don't owe you shit." Croc hissed back. "Money ain't shit."

"You ain't shit!" The girl rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at this point.

"Alright mates, can we cut it out the blabber and get to the knowing who the fuck she is?" Boomerang was now approaching the woman, almost certainly ready for a fight. "Why don't you tell us who you are, princess?"

"Aura. I go by Aura." She stood her ground as Boomerang approached, despite the fact that he was much larger than her. She looked up into his eyes and held a hand out. "Pleasure to meet you, Captain."

"Aura? Huh." Boomerang accepted at the gesture, shaking her hand jovially. "I 'ave heard of you. You've got powers, yeah?"

"Holy shit, you're Aura?" Deadshot had a look of surprise plastered on his face, with a hint of a smile. "I never would've guessed you'd be so young."

"Yes, I'm what they call a 'MetaHuman,' and yes, I started when I was 14. Early bloomer you could say." Aura responded to both Captain Boomerang and Deadshot in one fail swoop. She grinned at the latter as the tension seemed to have broken. "It's good to finally meet you, Lawton. And I'm sorry that I stole some of your clients. Gotta make money somehow."

"I can respect that." Deadshot offered a single nod. "But it's Deadshot here. I think we should all stick to our... Codenames."

"I'm fine with that." Harley's hands were playing with her hair as she looked at her teammates. She was confident she knew everyone's name, but she was not quite as clear on what they could do. "Aura, Diablo, Croc... You're Metahumans, right? What can you do?"

"My name is kind of a clue to that, Quinn." Aura focused her eyes on Harley. "I can see and feel auras, and know people's intentions by looking at them. Kind of like one of those psychics at the mall, but real."

"So you see a color around me? What is it? No, don't tell me. Pink! It has to be pink!" Harley seemed very excited about the information she had received. "Just tell me."

"Your cloud is real similar to the J-Man's. Rapidly cycling, hard to lock onto. A Clear sign of mental instability." Aura made a mental note of the fact that Harley didn't have 'a color' of her own. Everyone else in the yard did, but not her. "Now, if you asked me what color El Diablo was, that's an easy one. Cool, icy blue. Perfectly solid, no holes. Ironic, considering his past."

"What's that mean?" Diablo was curious, but he didn't want to show too much interest. He wanted to know what he was dealing with, but not get too involved. "Is it good?"

"It means you're probably the most trustworthy person here." Aura spoke like it was an obvious truth. "Keep it up."

"You can literally see the crazy on her?" Deadshot was skeptical of what he was hearing. Hell, he was skeptical of the idea of Metahumans in general. If you couldn't even trust normal people, how were you supposed to trust someone who had powers of unknown reach? "And the human blowtorch is blue? I don't know if I can deal with a psychic bitch."

"I don't play with fire anymore." Diablo quipped back. "Don't act like you know me."

"We all know you've incinerated people." Deadshot replied calmly, "I'm not judging, just saying what I know."

Boomerang leaned against one of the walls, appearing to enjoy the conversation. "Get to work with a mindreader, a hot-headed gangbanger, and a giant lizard-man. Oughtta be fun." He rested his eyes on Aura once again. "What color am I?"

"You? You're orange, dark orange." Aura let out a little chuckle. "And it means I don't like you."

"Piss off; you don't even know me." Boomerang was instantly defensive.

"I know I don't like orange, though." Aura grinned back at Boomerang, knowing that this was quickly going to turn into an argument.

"You're wearing orange."

"We're all wearing orange. It's prison."

"Your hair is orange." Boomerang was quickly becoming flustered and agitated.

Aura, on the other hand, was prepared to keep things up. "So is yours, we're both redheads. Not something I chose."

Boomerang quickly started making his way over to Aura. "You don't want to start a fight wif me."

"Back it up." Flag quickly stepped between the two, his gun facing Captain Boomerang. "I think it's time everyone goes back to their cells."


	3. Chapter Three: Capture-Part 1

**Nine Months Before Mission 1**

It was a beautiful day in Gotham City. A little bit chilly, but the sun had been out most of the day, and there hadn't been a drop of rain. The streets of the shopping district were bustling with shoppers searching for Christmas gifts. It seemed to be a relatively typical Saturday in November, if not a little bit quiet. It was nice; in fact, it was perfect. It was perfect for what Floyd Lawton had planned.

Floyd didn't get to see his daughter often, as he had willingly given up custody years prior. He regretted that decision, as now he was lucky to see Zoe once a month. So he worked to make the best of the time he did have with her. He knew there was a fairly good chance he wouldn't see her again until after Christmas had already past, so he had spent the day buying her pretty much anything she asked for. Floyd could easily afford it, thanks to his unorthodox profession. 

The two of them had just exited the American Girl Store, the proof of which was in the form of a doll Zoe was clutching to her chest. She looked similar to the doll; the same rich brown skin, wide chocolate eyes and thick fluffy hair. She also looked similar to her father. One look at Floyd and Zoe and you could tell they were father and daughter, no doubt about it. 

"How's your mom doing? She taking good care of you?" Floyd didn't want to bring up the delicate subject of his ex-wife, but he knew he needed to. If he wanted to make a better life for his daughter, he had to find out what was going on. 

Zoe shrugged her shoulders, though it was hardly visible under her coat. "Mom is alright. She drinks a lot, but I can take care of her fine." 

"You do realize she's the one who is supposed to take care of you, right? That's the definition of a mom." Floyd shook his head in disappointment, but her was not surprised, "What about her boyfriend? He still around?" 

"He's been living with us for awhile, but I don't really seem him very much." Zoe looked up at her father as they spoke, "He goes out a lot." 

"Zoe, that's not a good place for you." Floyd had made up his mind before the conversation, for the most part, this information was just more ammunition for his argument. "I've got good money coming in, and I've got a nice place downtown lined up for us. I want you to come live with me." 

Zoe's face quickly darkened, and she lowered her eyes to the sidewalk. "I can't live with you, Dad... Mom says you do bad things." 

"Your mom is a liar." Floyd was trying not to let his anger show in front of his daughter. "What could I do?" 

"I know you kill people; you don't have to lie to me." Zoe glanced up for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the floor. 

"That is not true." Floyd knew he sounded snippy, but he didn't know what else to do. He had no defense. 

Zoe sighed as they turned into an alley, nearing the car her dad had driven them there in. "It's okay; I still love you." 

A sudden noise came from the entrance of the alley as a dark figure dropped from the top of one of the walls of the buildings next to it. Floyd knew he had enemies in Gotham, and he wasn't going to take a risk with his daughter's safety. He had pushed Zoe out of the way, dropped to one knee, and pointed his wrist-mounted magnum at the assailant all in a fraction of a second. 

"Lower the gun, Deadshot." A tall, imposing figure was standing in front of him. He didn't have any weapons aimed, but he didn't need to. Batman was a threat without a gun or knife; he was possibly the most dangerous person in Gotham. "I don't want to hurt you in front of your daughter." 

"Shit!" Floyd exclaimed rather loudly, looking over his shoulder to see Zoe moving. "Stay down!" 

"It's over; the police are on their way." As if on cue, sirens became audible in the distance. Batman looked past Floyd to his daughter and broke his stoic appearance for a moment to smile softly at her. "Do the right thing for her." 

Floyd slowly lowered his arm as he flashing lights approached. He shook his head and rose to his feet, turning to look at his daughter. "I love you, too." 

**Three Months Before Mission 1**

Aura had made a nice name for herself in Gotham. She had a regular stream of job opportunities with enough time in between for her passion projects. Unlike some of the other assassins and hitmen in Gotham, she had also managed to keep a low enough profile that very few people knew what she even liked. She was living her dream, doing what she loved with very few people trying to knock her back down. She may not have had the nicest place to live or the best car, but she did have a stolen motorcycle and an apartment that let her rent without paperwork. In short, she was doing better then than she had in the past eleven years. 

She sat on top of one of the many skyscrapers in the city, looking out over the horizon. It seemed like Gotham never ended as the view disappeared over the edge of the earth. For some reason, people kept coming to Gotham, and it kept growing. Why anyone would choose to live in such a dirty, grimy, crime-oriented place, Aura didn't know. She didn't really care; it kept her in a job. A dirty, grimy, crime-oriented job, but a job all the same. 

Today she wasn't exactly on the job, but she wasn't taking the day off either. She was working on something she'd been trying to do for months, but had yet to succeed. Today was the day. Today was the day she was going to take that fucker down. 

Aura's legs dangled off the side of the building as she lifted a cigarette to her mouth. She knew it was bad, but it was her guilty pleasure and a ritual she completed before every kill. Set-up, cigarette, hair, aim, shoot, escape. She had already set up her sniper rifle, which was resting on its bipod next to her. If her informants were correct, she still had about five minutes before her target would make an appearance, which meant just enough time to enjoy the sweet cancer stick between her red-painted lips. 

The smoke burned her lungs with every inhale, but she liked it. She only lit up before kills for that very reason- the dull burning was strangely calming. She knew if her body ever had the chance to fully adjust to her habit, the burning would stop, and the cigarettes would become useless. She looked down at her wrist, noting that three minutes were still on the clock. 

Aura swung her legs back over the edge of the building, planting her boots firmly on the ground before standing up. In one fluid movement, she swept her unruly hair up into a ponytail, revealing the shaved sides of her head. There were intricate tattoos etched into her scalp, mostly swirling designs and random series of letters. She took one last drag off of her lipstick stained cigarette, before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out. With two minutes left, Aura laid on the ground and took her weapon into her hands. She was prepared in case her target made a slightly early appearance, though she doubted that. He tended to be punctual. 

She took a deep breath and focused her attention on the business building about a block down. The hitman known as Slipknot would be scaling the building any moment, going after his own target. Aura didn't usually target her business competition on purpose, she thought that would be unfair. This wasn't about business, though. It was about hobbies. Slipknot, much like Aura, had a passion project. Unlike Aura, his passion was raping innocent women. Aura's passion was taking out pedophiles, abusers, and rapists. That created a conflict of interests. 

Aura's grip tightened on her rifle when she felt a rusty red cloud nearing the building. It wasn't a color she saw often in people, so she knew instantly who it was and what they were going to do. Sure enough, she saw Slipknot scramble out of an alleyway and head straight for the building, about thirty seconds ahead of schedule. She peered through her scope, lining up her shot as Slipknot harnessed himself. 

"Put your hands up!" 

The sudden noise shocked Aura, causing her to jerk the gun and pull the trigger. "Fuck!" She knew she hadn't even hit close to her mark, but that wasn't the biggest issue at the moment. 

"I said, put your hands up!" The voice shouted again. 

Aura slowly stood up, giving herself enough time to focus on the cloud of energy behind her. It was bright blue, excited, but there were good intentions there. She faced the person speaking and observed that they were military, probably Special Ops. Full body armor, camo, a colossal gun, and several friends coming up the stairs from inside. "You want me to put my hands up?" She feigned stupid, an attempt to buy time. 

"That's what I said, freak." The commando barked back. "Now fucking do it before I shoot you." 

"First of all, I know you have absolutely no intention of shooting me unless I attack you." Aura crossed her arms, ignoring the orders. "Second, you just caused me to miss my target. You jut allowed one of the United States most wanted killers and rapists get away." 

"Put your hands up and get on your knees! Now!" A different one of the military boys was shouting now, and it had about the same effect. 

"Oh, honey... I don't get on my knees unless you treat me really well." She smiled and took a few steps toward the group of guns pointed her. They immediately tensed and she could feel the fear roll of them in waves. There were about twelve of them, but she wasn't scared of them. She knew if the military was involved, they weren't allowed to kill her. "Did they even tell you what I do? Ya'll are acting like I can kill you with my mind." 

"Last warning!" The first yelled again, but Aura had already lost interest. 

The door to the stairs leading into the building was still open. If she could get in the door, she could jump down the stairs at least one story, giving her a good lead on the commandos. If worse came to worse, she'd have to jump two or three floors and risk breaking an ankle, but it wasn't anything she hadn't done before. "One... two..." She gave herself a countdown before she began sprinting. 

"Three." The word came from behind her, and unlike the other voices on the roof, this one was distinctly female. 

"Fuckin' A, man." Aura could feel the barrel of a gun on the back of her neck. "Is this necessary, Amanda?" 

"You were given multiple opportunities to turn yourself in. You refused." Amanda Waller spoke calmly, a hint of a smile in her voice. "Now put your hands behind your back. The helicopter is on its way; you have no way to escape." 

Aura begrudgingly placed her hands behind her back. She felt the blades on her wrist being removed, but the pressure was quickly replaced with handcuffs. "Can I ask how you found me?" 

Amanda chuckled as she pushed Aura forward. "Your boss told us you were back in Gotham, and you made it easy from there." 

"Not my boss, wanna make that clear. Hasn't been my boss for almost three years." Aura rolled her eyes but allowed herself to be led forward. She had enough experience to know it was in her best interest to listen to Waller. 

"That explains why you've gotten so sloppy." Waller shoved Aura to the ground, looming over her. "A stolen motorcycle with plates we can easily track, and your DNA on a cigarette at every single scene. So, so sloppy." 

Aura landed on the ground and made no attempt to stand back up. She could see the helicopter in the distance, coming in their direction. "Wouldn't be fair if I did everything perfect."


	4. Chapter 4: 3 2 1

Six Hours Before Mission 1

"Come on, Lawton. Time to go." Griggs peered through the slot on the armored door, smiling at the prisoner inside. "You gonna come easy?"

"If you think I'm ever gonna let you push me around without a fight, you haven't been paying attention." Lawton smiled at Griggs, knowing he was about to be rushed. "Besides, you wouldn't let it be easy."

"You're not wrong." Griggs chuckled as he began to unlock the door. "Glad we have an understanding, though."

Lawton clenched his fists, bringing them up in a fighting stance. His heart was beating faster, "Let's go."

The door swung open, and several men in riot gear rushed into the room. Floyd got a few good punches in, though he mostly hit shields and armor. It took only a few seconds for him to be forced to the ground and put it chains. It was pretty much the usual routine, save for the fact that Griggs wasn't kicking him.

Several doors down, a very different scene was playing out. The cell had been absolutely torn apart- the mattress from the cot had been thrown against a wall, the bed frame mostly dismantled, and various plastic and metal scraps littered the floor. Digger Harkness was sitting in the corner of the room grinning like an idiot. He had managed to fashion a pair of boomerangs using pocketed silverware from his meals, screws and springs from the bed, aluminum cans, a roll of duct tape, and a few lighters he'd snuck from the guards. Say what you want about Captain Boomerang, but he was resourceful as hell.

He lifted one of the boomerangs near his face, spinning it in his hands, examining it. It wasn't near as pretty as he would have liked, and the edges weren't as sharp and clean as his razor boomerangs, but they would do. He could throw them, and even without perfect shape, he had enough control over his throws to make sure they returned. Drastic circumstances had to call for drastic measures. Even a few weeks inside a cell was too much Digger, and he wasn't going to let himself be turned into some American government tool.

Digger knew that any minute the guards would be by with his lunch, which would allow the perfect opportunity. The food slot was just large enough to throw a boomerang through. With the correct trajectory, he could bust one of the fire alarms in the hall. And when the fire alarm went off, all of the cell doors in the block would unlock, allowing the perfect escape. That still left him with a spare boomerang he wasn't willing to part with, so he did the logical thing: placed it on the side of his abdomen, and wrapped duck tape around himself.

Tha plan probably would have worked if the slot would have flipped open and the meal slid in like usual. Instead, as Digger stood staring at the flap, the entire door opened. The door opened, and he was holding a contraband weapon. "Well, fuck me dead, if it ain't the big man 'round here!"

"Drop it." Griggs stood in the hallway shaking his head. "You're being called to action."

"I'm not dropping shit." Boomerang figured he still had a chance of escaping; he just had to modify his plan. He threw the boomerang directly at Grigg's head; it was a direct hit. However, a direct hit with a sharp piece of aluminum doesn't do a whole lot to a riot gear helmet.

Griggs raised an eyebrow and glanced at the boomerang that had simply fallen to his feet. "Really?"

"It's the thought that counts?" Boomerang smiled sheepishly. "At least I tried."

Meanwhile, on the other end of the sprawling Belle Reve complex, all was calm. The sun shone through a single barred window, the only interruption in an otherwise monotonous cell. In the center of the room was a lone woman, legs crossed and eyes closed. She was meditating, tuning into the universe. Despite the large scar across her left cheek, and tattoos covering her head and neck, she seemed almost monk-like.

Aura could feel the energy flowing around her body; she could see it even with her eyes shut. Focusing on everything and nothing at all allowed the perfect transfer of energy between her and the world around her. She was recharging. She had to get out of the abyss she often found herself in when without meaningful human interactions. Without interaction, her flow was usually obstructed. Without flow, she went insane.

She was running into one problem, though. Belle Reve was full of some of the worst criminals in the world, and they carried some terrible energy. She was used to being around bad energy, but it wasn't usually the only thing she could feel. It made the process of recharging and reconnecting very slow, painfully slow. Three hours had gone by since she'd taken her seat on the ground, and she was still there. The only benefit of her environment was that she was becoming very familiar with her teammates' auras. They were rather far away, but when she tuned in like this, she could still feel them. From Killer Croc's familiar maroon glow, to the newer mustard yellow of Deadshot, they were all there. The base colors of each of the people she had met a week earlier, flickering around her.

Aura sighed and opened her eyes, peering at the man standing a few feet away from her. "Can I help you, Colonel?"

"You're being called into action; there's a terrorist event occurring in Michigan as we speak." Rick Flag motioned with his gun for Aura to stand up. "Lucky for you, I'm supposed to escort you to Midway City"

"Only me?" Aura pushed herself off of the ground and smiled softly at Flag. "I'm not sure why Amanda puts so much trust into me; all I've ever done is cause her trouble."

"Don't get cocky; you're just the only one being held at this end of Belle Reve." Flag rolled his eyes as he turned back towards the doorway. "Griggs and his men are collecting the rest of Task Force X, and they're gonna be going the same place as us."

"Then why aren't you cuffing me? I'm as much of a threat as any of the others." She didn't exactly believe what she was being told. "Just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm weak, if that's what this is about."

Flag paused for a moment, looking back at Aura. "You're weak because they cut you off, not because you happen to be female. It'll be a few hours out of this room before you get your strength back." He began walking again and soon heard footsteps following him. "Better keep up."

"What's bothering you, Colonel?" Aura wasn't going to argue about her lack of restraints or the fact that she was weak; he was right. However, she was curious as to why Flag's base violet color had darkened significantly since they had met. "Don't bullshit me, I'll know you're lying."

"I'm a patriot, and our country is under attack." Flag responded quickly, but his words seemed cut and choppy.

"Not gonna tell me then?" Aura sighed and kept walking, not pushing any further.


	5. Chapter 5: Blast Off

18:00, August 10th, 2016: Mission 1 Begins

Harley Quinn was grinning and giggling as she was wheeled through the Midway City Evacuation Zone to her teammates. She had a shiny new cell phone slipped up her sleeve, a gift from her beloved Puddin'. It wasn't much, but it was a direct line of communication she could use when she needed it. It was going to be her key to freedom, her release from government entrapment. She just had to wait for the message telling her it was time to go; as soon as she received it, she would be gone.

Harley was one of the last to be delivered to the city. For security reasons, she had been transferred alone. She could see everyone else around her, all strapped down to a chair like her, save for Aura who had no restraints, and Croc who was too large for the chairs and had upright restraints. Surprisingly, there wasn't much commotion as everyone was pushed into a line. The only person who seemed to be causing an issue at all was Boomerang, and he wasn't doing anything but complain and curse.

Colonel Rick Flag stepped out in front of the team with two other soldiers and Aura still in tow. He paced up and down the line, making sure everyone was accounted for. Aura, Killer Croc, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo... "They're all here except the new one. You can unlock 'em." The Colonel nodded to one of his men standing to the side, beginning the process of unchaining each member of Task Force X. Each member was freed, one by one. Still, no one moved anywhere or spoke. They knew this was different than last time; they'd each flown halfway across the country for this.

"Who's the new one, Colonel?" Aura wasn't focused on anyone else. After spending over an hour in a helicopter with Flag talking about a new team member, she needed to know.

Flag turned to look at Aura, smirking ever so slightly. "Someone you're not gonna like."

The timing couldn't have ben more perfect as a black SUV covered in large metal plates pulled into the clearing. Every hair on Aura's body stood up, triggered by the unnatural energy emanating from the vehicle. It had it's own electromagnetic field, keeping her from feeling anything in or around it. "Fuck you, Colonel. Seriously, this isn't cool."

Flag ignored Aura's comments and instead directed his attention to the SUV. "Ladies and gentlemen, the man who can climb anything: Slipknot."

One of the doors on the SUV swung open, and a large man stepped out. He was wearing full tactical gear, ropes and hooks covering his body. He would have been the biggest person present if it weren't for Killer Croc.

"More like the man who'll rape anything." Deadshot shook his head and rolled his eyes. He was familiar with Slipknot, and he wasn't a fan. Slipknot was possibly the least respected criminal in all of Gotham. Even murderers didn't like a rapist.

Aura's pale skin had turned bright pink in the presence of Slipknot. Her blood was boiling, every muscle in her body was tight and rigid. Her hands were balled into fists, and she was trembling. She couldn't think, she was too overcome with anger. She wasn't even aware that she was charging forward until she slammed into someone else.

Surprisingly, it was Captain Boomerang who had stepped into Aura's path. He watched her start running and saw the guns aim at her. As much as he enjoyed the violence and wanted to see some action, now was not the time. He had leaped forward and hooked his arm around Aura's waist, stopping her from reaching her target. "We'll deal with him later, alright? First, we have to get outta 'ere." He spoke softly and quickly, not letting anyone else hear him.

"Separate now, hands up!" Flag growled through clenched teeth as he raised his rifle in the direction of Aura and Boomerang. "We don't have time for this shit."

Boomerang put his hands behind his head and took a few steps back from Aura, "I was just trying to stop her, mate. I don't think think the guns are necessary."

Aura took a deep breath and adjusted her now crooked shirt before glaring at Slipknot a final time. "Sorry, Colonel. I just get a little emotional when you put me around _ass holes_ without warning."

Slipknot hadn't moved a muscle during the whole confrontation, but now he was shaking his head. "Haven't killed me yet, bitch."

"If either of you goes after each other again, I will not hesitate to detonate the explosives in your necks. Cut it out." Flag had lowered his weapon, but he did not seem any more relaxed. "Aura, get back."

Aura rolled her eyes as she walked back to where she had been standing before Slipknot had arrived. She dusted herself off and crossed her arms in front of herself. "You're lucky I have respect for the military, Colonel."

"Alright, listen up! We already went over this once, but as a reminder: If you do anything to piss me off or annoy me, you will die. Do not try to call me on a bluff, because there isn't one." Flag paced slightly as he spoke, unable to stop his nervous movement.

"As a warning, I'm known for being irritating." Harley Quinn put her hand in the air and beamed happily at Flagg. She was the only one smiling.

"Shut up, lady!" Flag shouted at Harley but quickly regained his composure. After inhaling deeply, he addressed the group again. "You're all going somewhere very bad, to do something that will likely kill you. Until you die, you're my responsibility."

"That was your pep talk?" Deadshot scoffed at Flag, apparently unimpressed.

"That's the pep talk, yeah." Flag nodded. "Get your shit, everything you might need for a fight. We're leaving in ten."

Flag turned to leave, but Deadshot put his hand out and stopped him. "You might need to work on the motivation thing. You ever heard of Phil Jackson?" Flag nodded as Deadshot continued. "He's like, the Gold standard, alright? Triangle, Bitch." He held up his hands in the shape of a triangle, smiling slightly.

Everyone else had scattered to their respective crates and bags of clothes and weapons, sifting through them to find what they may need. El Diablo had the least trouble- he didn't use any weapons. All he had to do was change out of his prison uniform and into his street clothes. A pair of jeans, a wifebeater, a pair of clean white Nike classics, and his signature jacket. Navy with sky blue sleeves, read 'Diablo' on the left breast and a large'Hillsiders East Los Angeles' patch on the back. His clothes were simple and functional; none of the showy stuff.

Harley, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She didn't care about practicality; she wanted to kick-ass and look sexy while doing it. She had already pulled her up into two high pigtails on either side of her head. She'd also decided to wear a beat-up 'Daddy's Lil Monster' diT-shirt, but was now deciding which pair of shorts to wear: the red and black went better with her shoes, but the blue and red went better with her hair and jacket. "What do you think Aura? I need a girl's opinion. Black or blue?" Harley held up both pairs of barely-there shorts to see.

Aura was digging through her own clothing options as Harley spoke. She looked up long enough to see that neither option was ideal for a war zone. "I would recommend pants."

Harley shrugged, "Blue it is then." She had her outfit all laid out and her weapons chosen. A Rhino revolver with 'Love' and 'Hate' emblazoned on the cylinder was always a favorite; as well as a trusty wooden baseball bat stamped with the words "Good Night."

Aura thought that Harley's clothing choices were ridiculous and impractical. She preferred to stick to the tried and true: denim and leather. She pulled a pair of dark-wash jeans onto her legs, fastening the fly securely before moving on. A ripped purple v-neck covered her torso, and she was protected from the elements by a black moto jacket. Her shoes were what completed the look, though. A pair of shiny patent leather combat boots with purple laces were slipped onto her feet, matching her shirt and jacket. She slid her dagger-cuffs onto her wrists, tightening the straps to secure them. She flexed each of her wrists, testing to ensure the spring-loaded blades would appear without hurting her. She smiled over at Croc, showing off her weaponry. "I improved my design since the last time you saw these."

Croc grunted back at Aura, shaking his head. "You still use those things?" There was a hint of surprise in his rumbly voice. "You're an idiot."

"I'm smart enough to make these!" She didn't let Croc get to her; it was normal for him to be unimpressed with her. "Just jealous because I was the brains of our operation." She continued bending her hands back, watching the daggers spring forward each time and return when she relaxed her hand. When she was convinced they were in perfect working order, she moved on to the rest of her arsenal. She holstered a revolver to her thigh and swung the bag containing her dismantled sniper over her soldier. She checked to make sure her jewelry was safe in the pockets of her jacket, and she was ready to go.

Croc, much like Diablo, didn't carry heavy weaponry on him. He relied on his brute strength to get him through fights. (Not to mention most bullets just bounced off of his scaly skin.) He quickly pulled on a pair of baggy sweatpants and a brown velour hoodie. He was more careful with his leather coat; it was custom made for him, with plenty of crocodile imagery to really drive the point across that he was indeed Killer Croc. He stuffed a single massive Smith&Wesson 460XVR into his coat before he shut his crate, just to be safe.

"That's the biggest fuckin' revolver I've ever seen!" Boomerang grinned at Croc as he stashed the gun away. "What is that?"

"Do you know anything about guns?" Croc looked down at Boomerang with distaste, perhaps even disappointment.

"Not really, more of a boomerang man." He held up one of the shiny, razor-sharp boomerangs in his hand, flipping it around with ease and precision. "They can go 'round corners." It was only one of the many boomerangs hidden away inside the Captain's dusty trench coat. He had everything from drone-like boomerangs with cameras, to exploding boomerangs, and even a few that sprayed poison. He had a different boomerang for every situation and a single plush pink unicorn that worked in every situation. Boomerang probably had the most diverse arsenal of anyone on the team, and it was all tucked away neatly, invisible from the outside.

While Captain Boomerang's weapons were virtually invisible, his clothes were not. He was instantly identifiable by his light-blue track jacket that read 'CAPTAIN' across the front and his gray beanie with several boomerang-shaped pins attached to it. His jeans and boots were less noteworthy as they tended to blend in with his long leather trenchcoat. He did have a thick tan and silver glove on his left hand for throwing and several gold chains hanging around his neck, but there was nothing special about his dress otherwise. Since he had finished getting ready with time to spare, he continued playing with his beloved razorang with his eyes fixed on Aura across the way.

"Distracted, Captain?" Deadshot chuckled as he walked up behind the Aussie. "Or just taking in the view?"

"She's hot, no shame in admitting that. " Boomerang shrugged, "I mean, I already like 'em curvy, but with tits like that, and whole biker thing..." Boomerang smiled at Deadshot. "What about you? Aura or bat-shit over there?"

"Let's just say I'm into crazy." Deadshot patted Boomerang on the back. "I think it's about time to-"

"Gather around everyone!" Rick Flag had reappeared, this time clutching a large tablet in his hands. "God is calling, and you don't want to keep her waiting."

In seconds, Task Force-X was huddled around Flag and the tablet. The screen lit up with the ARGUS emblem, before cutting to a live stream of the woman herself. "For those of you who don't officially know me, my name is Amanda Waller. There is an ongoing terrorist event happening in Midway City. I'm asking you to enter the city, rescue HVT-1, and get them to safety."

"Um, what exactly is an HTV-1, for those of us who don't speak good guy?" Deadshot wasn't the kind of man to go into something blind. He studied his targets and knew everything they did, every weird habit they had and every member of their family. Going in without that knowledge was not what he did.

"HTV-1 is the most important person in this city, the only one that matters, and the only thing you can't kill." Waller pursed her lips together. "Complete the mission, get time off your prison sentence. Fail the mission, you die. If anything happens to Colonel Flag, I will kill every single one of you. Remember, I'm watching. I see everything." The screen dropped back to black.

Flag tucked the tablet under his arm, "How's that for a pep talk?"

"It could still use improvement, but compared to your shit she knocked it out of the park," Deadshot answered as honestly as he could. "So, that's it then? We're some kind of Suicide Squad?"

"I'll notify your next of kin." Flag pushed past Deadshot, walking away before any other questions could be asked.

"They're leading us to our death." Diablo looked at Deadshot and shook his head. "This is crazy, homie."

"If you think killing any of us is that easy, you gotta be fucking stupid." Aura ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it all to the right side of her head. "We're here because they know we're hard to kill. They're not gonna through some weak-ass soldiers into this if they know they can't do it."

"She's right, they're not trying to kill us, they're trying to get something done," Harley spoke up between chomps on the bright pink bubblegum in her mouth. "If they wanted us dead we'd already be asleep."

"Don't get too confident; we don't know what's out there." Diablo sighed. "It could be another one of those guys like Superman."

"I'm pretty you're like Superman, mate. You got powers, what's the difference?" Boomerang was attempting to be encouraging, "Don't worry 'bout it."

"Captain, I have powers too. Not all Metahumans are the same. If you put me, or Croc, or skull-face over here in front of Superman, it wouldn't end well." Aura bit her lip, collecting her thoughts. "But this isn't Superman. If there were a motherfucker like that out there who wanted to do evil shit, we would have heard about it before. This is something small enough that they think we can handle it. There's a lot of us; we have power here."

Killer Croc placed a hand on Aura's shoulder, a protective gesture "Nothing is taking us."

"This is good, this is good." Deadshot nodded at the words he was hearing, happy to see there was some sort of morale in the group. "If we can all stay alive and get this done, we will all be one step closer to getting out of here and back to what we're used to."

"Except you, you should just stay out of the way." Aura pointed an accusatory finger in the direction of Slipknot. "I will not hesitate to slit your goddamn throat if you so much as lay a finger on Harley or me."

"And I'm hungry," Croc added, smiling down at Slipknot.

"I wasn't planning on touching anybody." Slipknot hissed back, "I just want to get out."

"Hey, come on, we were doing good." Deadshot intervened before things could get too nasty. "Just don't talk to each other, don't look at each other. If it helps, don't even think of each other. Just don't get yourself killed."


	6. Chapter 6: Highway to Hell

The entirety of Task Force X had been loaded into a massive military helicopter fitted with machine guns and armor. A second nearly identical helicopter flew beside them, following as if it were a bodyguard. They were both headed towards the stormy heart of mostly destroyed Midway City. The attack had begun only a few short hours ago, but there were already tanks rolling through the smoky streets. This was a much larger military operation than your standard terrorist attack- this was something else. But despite the gravity of the world outside, there were still jokes being made inside that helicopter.

Aura could feel the weight of everyone's fear and sadness on her chest. Everyone wanted to act tough, but their concern was evident to an empath like her. So she decided to lighten the mood."So tell me, Colonel, if you're military, and you're in charge of us, doesn't that make us military?" She was leaning back in her seat, with her legs sprawled apart. Her sniper case sat securely between her feet. Her gaze was resting on Flag, who was sat across from her and to her left.

"No." Flag didn't even want to indulge Aura by answering her, but ignoring her would do no good. "You're prisoners."

"What about government employees?" Boomerang joined in the questioning, his lips turning up slightly."You are the government, and we are doing a job for you."

"You are not government employees," Flag said as he sighed.

"Ya know, I think they're right." Harley smiled at the Colonel. "We can't be prisoners if we're not in prison."

Flag shook his head, not amused by the antics of his crew. "Remember what I said about irritating me."

"Oh, come on." Aura wasn't about to let Flag ruin their fun. "Lighten up, Colonel. I get that you're worried, and you don't want to be around us, but... Smile a little. It's good to grin in the face of tragedy. I mean, shit, I'm laughing and a rapist I've been trying to kill for years is three feet away from me. Sometimes you just gotta let go."

Slipknot peered around Croc, sneering at Aura. "Keep me out of your mouth, Bitch."

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't talk to each other." Deadshot looked down the row to Aura and Slipknot, "Save the anger for the fight."

"Aye, as much as I love the banter" Boomerang interrupted the conversation to point a finger towards Croc, "I don't think ya boy Croc is supposed to be turning green like that."

Aura was quick to pick up her rifle bag and lift her feet off the ground. She was just in time, as less than a second later Croc had hunched over and expelled the contents of his stomach onto the floor of the aircraft. He spent a few moments heaving as chunks of partially digested pig organs splattered over the ground. It wasn't a pretty sight, and it didn't smell pleasant either.

"Gross! Party foul!" Harley shook her head in disgust and pinched her nose to prevent the scent from entering. "Not cool."

Aura placed a comforting hand on the still bent-over Croc's back. "He has problems with motion sickness." She mouthed her words to the rest of the group, not wanting to draw more attention to Croc.

"I can tell." Diablo broke his silence for the first time since they'd boarded the helicopter. "It's cool, es **è**. Happens to everyone."

Croc raised his head for a moment and gave a nod to Diablo. "Thanks."

The atmosphere in the copter had dropped again as it neared its destination. The creases in Flag's face seemed to deepen with each passing second, while the hearts of Task Force X grew heavier. Except for Harley, she was enjoying staring out the window at the isolated glowing storm in the distance.

"Look at that! Are you guys seeing this?" Harley turned her head to the side, a look of pure joy covering her face. "It's so pretty!"

"What's going on out there?" Deadshot inquired, his eyes on Flag.

"Standard terror attack. Dirty bombs, bad guys with AKs shooting up the place. Pretty usual shit." Flag gave a half-hearted answer. "Nothing we haven't seen before."

Aura snickered, unable to completely quell her laughter. "I'm sorry, but you can't tell me that the giant mass of pure energy back there is standard."

Boomerang jabbed an elbow over into Aura's side, "Do you want answers or not?"

" _Ow..._ " Aura shot Boomerang the dirtiest look she could muster.

"No, she's right. Flag isn't a very good liar." Deadshot didn't let the others distract him too much; he had some things to say before everything went to hell. "I don't know if they told you this, Colonel, but I'm a hit man. I don't save people."

Flag gave a knowing nod, "Anything for a dollar, right Lawton?"

"You know the dark places too, don't act like you don't." Deadshot didn't allow himself to be ridiculed, especially not by somebody with their own dark demons. "You have to to be this far in this shit."

"I'm a soldier. You're a glorified serial killer who accepts debit and credit." It was clear some nerve in Flag had been struck. "When the shooting starts, and it will, you'll cut and run."

During the argument that was occurring, Harley took the opportunity to slide the little rectangular cell phone out of her sleeve. She had one new message, one single line of text from her beloved Joker: **Coming soon, be patient**

No one seemed to notice Harley's phone, as they simply kept shooting back and forth. "You act like you know a lot about us, but you don't. We ain't no cowards." Diablo shook his head, a little hurt by Flag's comments. He knew they weren't just aimed at Deadshot.

"You murdered your family, that's all I need to know." Flag shrugged, leaning back into his seat.

"That was an accident," Diablo had his hands clenched into fists, and he could feel a spark inside his body growing. "And I turned myself in the same night. I know I did wrong, I admit it. We all do." He released the tension in his arms, a few small sparks shooting from his fingertips.

Before Flag could get out a rebuttal, the entire helicopter was filled with the loud, metallic sound of bullets hitting a hard surface. Gunfire came through the front of the craft, and it lurched forward. The side of the copter scraped against a crane, sending it into a tailspin straight for Earth. Everyone was grabbing onto whatever their hands could find: bags, weapons, and the people seated next to them. When the helicopter finally made contact with the concrete, it didn't stop; it rolled onward, sending its occupants spinning like wheels within.

The second helicopter came in for a landing close to the wrecked one, a team of soldiers rushing out to inspect the wreckage. Fortunately, it appeared everyone except the pilots had survived the crash. Flag and his ragtag team of misfits each emerged from the cloud of dust and smoke surrounding the scene. "We're all right."


	7. Chapter Seven: Capture-Part 2

Eighteen Months Before Mission 1

Chato Santana was not new to the LA criminal scene. He joined his first gang when he was only thirteen, soon after his family had moved to the United States from Mexico. Nearly twenty years later, he was still going strong. He'd worked his way up the ranks in the Hillsider gang, and was now near the top. He was one of the most feared men in Los Angeles, known for the unusual way his enemies turned up dead. Always burned to death, never a place of origin for the fire. If you crossed Chato, there was a good chance your body was going to turn up burnt to a crisp. For that reason, Chato had earned the name El Diablo. He was the devil, and he made sure to deliver hell.

Diablo looked the part, as well. Anyone who had their entire head tattooed to appear as a skull was intimidating. He was covered in tattoos, from the skull pattern over his face, to the giant '13' on his throat, to the word 'Diablo' printed across his lower jaw. Each piece of ink had a meaning, some darker than others. They were a very clear outward representation of who he was and what he did. He was proud of it; he was proud of the people he'd killed and lives he'd destroyed.

Not that anyone could prove any of it. That was perhaps Diablo's greatest skill: he'd been a leading suspect in at least fifteen separate murder investigations, but had never actually been charged. The cops had been on him for years, trying to catch him doing _something,_ anything to get him off the streets. It was a waste of the LAPD's resources, though. The only way Chato Santana was going to prison was if he turned himself in.

And he did.

"Jesus, Chato! Where have you been? I was worried sick about you!" It was nearly two in the morning, and Diablo had promised his wife he'd be home in time for dinner. "You can't keep doing this. At least answer your phone if you're going to disappear."

Diablo dropped his bag by the door, ignoring his wife completely as he walked to the kitchen. It was late, and frankly, he didn't want to fight any more that night.

"What happened to you? Are you deaf?" Grace followed him into the kitchen, shaking her head at him. "Chato! You can't do this to me; you have to talk to me."

"It was just business, nothing big." He shrugged in return, but still hadn't even given Grace a glance. "Don't worry about, just go to bed."

"No, you don't tell me to go to sleep. You said you'd be home at five. We were going to have dinner, like a normal family." Grace was fuming, "You stood us up, you left us wondering where you were. Your kids were scared, they kept asking where their daddy was, and I didn't know what to them."

El Diablo continued what he was doing and poured himself a bowl of cereal. "I have to work, Grace. I gotta put food on the table. I gotta pay rent." He sighed as he moved from the countertop to the small table in the corner of the room. After he sat down, he finally looked up at Grace. "I'm fine, your fine, the kids are fine. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that I found a duffle bag of cocaine under our bed. The problem is that two nights ago there was another warehouse fire and I know you were there. The problem is that every day I wonder if you're going to come home." Grace had tears welling in her eyes as she spoke, the sheer thought of the awful things that could happen bringing her to the brink of crying. "This isn't good for us; this isn't good for Sophia and Nikolas. You can't keep doing this."

"I just do what I have to do keep us going." Diablo was used to the fighting; it was a constant in his life. He loved his family, but sometimes they were too much. "I can't just stop everything. I have a business to run."

"Drugs aren't a business; they're a crime. Don't act like you aren't a criminal." Grace knew that this was the boiling point in her relationship. "If you can't see that this is hurting us, I'm gonna take my kids to my mom's, and work it out from there."

"No, you're not taking my kids from me." Diablo slammed his fist down on the table, "You can't do that."

"I can, and I am." Grace bowed her head and turned towards the hallway, to her children's' rooms.

Diablo was shaking with anger as he rose from his chair. "Don't take another step, I'm warning you."

 _Boom._

It was only a matter of minutes before sirens could be heard outside. Flashing blue and red lights came through the blinds on the windows, but their glow was dulled by the flames still burning throughout the house. Chato sat on the floor, tears streaming down his face and smoke burning his lungs. He knew he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He'd broken his own heart.

"Come out with your hands up!" A voice rang from a speaker outside the house. "Do not attempt to flee."

Chato slowly pushed himself off of the ground, and turned to the exit. He opened the front door and walked out with his hands behind his head. There were guns pointed at him in every direction, but it didn't phase him. As far as he was concerned, this was his end.

Two Weeks Before Mission 1

George "Digger" Harkness was a man with a plan and a beer in his hand. He was also one of the most wanted burglars in the world, having pulled off impressive heists in Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia. If you were to ask anyone why Harkness was so successful, you'd have trouble finding a good answer. He didn't possess any traits that were spectacular; he didn't have x-ray vision or the power of flight. He could consume his weight in alcohol, though, if you consider that a power. Most people call it alcoholism.

Alcoholic or not, Harkness was an impressive criminal. He went hard, and he showed no signs of slowing down. Today was no different. It was four in the morning, and he was cruising down the streets of Central City in a stolen Corvette. Less than an hour earlier he'd taken it straight from the lot of a dealership in the posh part of town. While he did enjoy the luxuries of a sports car, he hadn't taken it for fun. He needed a vehicle that went fast and would be hard to trace back to himself. It was a car he could drive and ditch with little hassle. Plus, it looked pretty cool.

Digger pulled the car into a 7-Eleven parking lot on a block that was what one might call _sketchy._ He wasn't planning on lingering there, only long enough to pick up his accomplice. Since there was no one around who appeared to be the correct person, he leaned back and turned the radio up. He could wait for a few minutes if it meant having a lookout. The waiting wasn't too long, as he soon heard a tapping on his window.

He carefully the tinted glass down a few inches, just enough to see who was outside. It was a white man who looked to be in his late fifties, scruffy beard, dirty clothes. "Sorry, mate. Don't have any money for you."

"Oh! No, I'm not homeless." The man smiled and shook his head. "I was hired to do... a job."

"You're Jay?" Harkness couldn't help but grin. "You're not exactly what I expected."

"Is that a problem?" Jay seemed concerned. "I promise, I'm more capable than I look."

"Nah, you'll do." Harkness gestured towards the empty passenger seat beside him. "Hop in; we only got so much time."

Jay nodded enthusiastically and ran around to the other side of the car. He pulled the door open and plopped down into the leather seat. "So... what's the plan?"

Harkness rolled up the window before speeding out of the parking lot and back towards the business district. "Robbing the diamond exchange. I already have the blueprints memorized, and at this time there aren't any guards on duty. It's an easy steal."

"A... a diamond exchange?" Jay's mouth turned down slightly. "I didn't know this was something so big. I thought we were going to, uhm... Break into an ex's house or something."

Harkness chuckled as he put more weight on the gas. "Welcome to the big leagues then. It's fun, I promise." He hadn't expected much from the stranger he'd found on Craigslist, but this was still underwhelming. "You'll do fine."

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Jay asked.

"No, I don't think so." Harkness shook his head in response. "Must just 'ave one of those faces."

"Wait, I know!" A look of clarity overcame Jay's face. "You're Captain Boomerang! I've seen you on TV!"

Boomerang sighed, "Yeah, that's me, Captain Boomerang, the World's Most Wanted Burglar." He slowed the car down as they approached their destination. "Alright, we're almost there. You're just going to follow my lead."

"Yes, sir!" Jay seemed more confident knowing that he was about to commit a crime with a super villain. "Follow your lead."

The car came to a halt, and Boomerang removed the keys from the ignition, stashing them in his coat. He turned in his seat, reaching back to grab several duffle bags. All were empty except one, which contained various supplies to aid in the raid. He stepped out of the vehicle and passed one of the empty bags over to his companion. "Let's do this."

From there, things seemed to go rather smoothly. As expected, there were no guards around the building, only a few cameras that were easily taken out with one throw. The emergency exit around the back of the building had a busted lock, a glaring security flaw that Boomerang was more than happy to exploit. If all jobs were that easy, everyone would be a burglar. He made his way inside and made a beeline for the staircase heading down. He looked back every few seconds to ensure Jay was still behind him, but didn't slow down.

The lower level of the exchange did present a few obstacles. The first being that to even get onto the floor, you needed to unlock a door. The good news was, it wasn't anything fancy, and the Captain fancied himself a pro at lockpicking. The door opened to a wide hallway with very little lighting and no decoration. At the end of the hall was the goal: a massive vault door.

"Is that it?" Jay whispered, not wanting to be too loud in the near silent building. "Is that where everything is?"

"That it is." Boomerang briskly approached the vault and dropped his supply bag to the ground. He took a squat and unzipped the bag, lifting what appeared to be a small bomb out of it. He fastened it to the door, quickly pressed a few buttons, and jumped back. "Might wanna cover your ears, mate."

Jay did as he was told, placing his hands over the sides of his head. Boomerang did the same, just as the explosive detonated. There was very little shrapnel thrown from the blast, and it had left a hole just large enough for a man of Boomerang's stature to climb through. Now it was all out about time.

"Grab everything you can, put it in the bags. We only got a few minutes before the police show up with an explosion like that." Boomerang had already set to work, pulling out drawers and scooping up the gems inside them.

"We're gonna be rich!" Jay grinned as he did the same, grabbing the precious stones by the handful. "This is unbelievable."

In less than two minutes, Boomerang had already managed to clean out an entire wall. "Why don't you go get the car, and bring it round back where we came in?" Now came his favorite part.

"Sure, yeah!" Jay stuffed one last handful into his bag, before turning and running for the exit.

"Dumb mug." Boomerang threw a blunt-edged boomerang down the hall, flying straight towards the back of Jay's head. It was a direct hit, and Jay was out cold. "Sorry, mate."

Boomerang lifted the remaining bags from the ground and started towards to Jay. He was going to reap the benefits of having two pairs of hands, without the part where he didn't get all of the goods. He bent down to pick up Jay's bag, surprised by its weight. It was an impressive grab.

"No honor among thieves, eh?"

Boomerang looked up to see a familiar red and yellow suit. "Fuck."


	8. Chapter 8: Brains, or Lack Thereof

A helicopter crash wasn't enough to phase the members of Task Force X. No one seemed to care that they had just survived a near-death experience. They simply walked down the street, calm as could be. Harley even seemed energized by the events, opting to skip instead of walk. Flag lead the pack, with several Navy SEALs by his side. There was a ring of SEALs surrounding the pack, an extra precaution to ensure no runaways. There was a flaw in that line of thinking, though. Serial killers and psychopaths aren't scared of SEALs.

Pretty much immediately, escape schemes started forming, beginning with Captain Boomerang.

"Mind games," Boomerang had approached Slipknot to propose his idea.

"What's that?" Slipknot kept his voice low, not wanting to draw attention.

Boomerang smirked, thinking himself clever. "It's all mind games, mate. This bomb in the neck crap, it ain't real. They're trying to trap us in our own minds, but when you look around, we're free bro. It's like the lions at the zoo: they could jump over the ditch and kill everyone starin' at them. But they don't, cause they don't think they can."

"How do you know this?" Slipknot was not convinced.

"Just trust me, alright?" Boomerang's eyes scanned around, making sure no one was listening in. "It's a con."

"Why should I trust you?" Slipknot was weary of running; he wasn't ready to trust anybody yet. "You seemed friendly with the bitch when we were on the flight over. How do I know you aren't working with her?"

"Who? Aura?" Boomerang shook his head, dismissing the idea. "You weren't there the first time I met her, but I got real close to bashing her brains in. And I don't mean to use it against you, but I did stop her from getting to you when you showed up. I don't know what your history is, but I don't like her either. No reason to work with her." That could have been a game of Two Truths and a Lie.

"Fair." Slipknot shrugged, more prepared to listen now.

"Now, I'm gonna get out of here. I got a life to live, and it ain't here." Boomerang smiled at Slipknot. "Question is, are you coming with me?"

Slipknot hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to take the risk. "I'm in."

"Yeah, smart." Boomerang took one last look around, making sure they were in an area where they wouldn't immediately be cornered. "Now."

They pair each took a SEAL, knocking them out with single punches. Boomerang followed it up with a few throws of his signature weapons, taking out several other soldiers from afar. Everything was moving fast, from the people to the weapons to the time. Slipknot had made a run for it, and Boomerang was still trying to fight himself out of the crowd. There were SEALs aiming guns from every direction, while the rest of Task Force X just watched the action.

It was only a matter of seconds before Boomerang had been pinned to a wall, one of the soldier's forearms firmly pressed into his neck. "Oi, mate. You can ease up on the pressure there."

Slipknot, on the other hand, was grappling up the side of a building. Every gun on the ground was aimed at him, ready to take him out as soon as Flag gave the command. "Do not fire," was the order they received. Flag had raised the screen on his wrist and selected Slipknot's face.

 _Boom._ Brains and blood splattered over the windows above as Slipknot's body hung limply from his grappling hook. It turns out the explosives weren't a game after all.

"Fuck yes!" Aura was literally jumping for joy. "That fucker deserved to die!" She was shouting, probably louder than she should have been. It was rare to see someone so genuinely happy over witnessing the death of another human being.

"That's what happens when you try to run. I told you it wasn't a bluff." Flag glared around at the members of Task Force X. They all seemed pretty indifferent about it, save for Aura who was grinning like a manic and Boomerang who was still pinned. "Let him go."

"The Colonel said let me go." Boomerang smiled at the SEAL still holding him. "So why don't you let me go?" The SEAL grunted at him, but released him.

"Do we wanna keep playing the Hollywood Squares version of I'll Blow Your Fucking Head Off?" Flag was angry, that was evident. "Who's gonna be next? You?" He'd walked up to Diablo, apparently trying to intimidate.

"You trippin' homie." Diablo shook his head, "I'm not going down like that."

"What about you then?" Flag had pointed a finger at Aura, who was still grinning. "Wipe that smile off your fucking face before your brains end up all over the sidewalk."

"I don't think Amanda would be happy if you killed me for smiling. Nice try, though, Colonel." Aura wasn't bothered by the threat she considered baseless. "Why don't you ask Deadshot though? I wanna see how that goes."

Flag accepted the suggestion, turning his attention to Deadshot next. "You wanna go? You wanna be the next one like that?"

"That's a threat. You just threatened me." Deadshot shook his head. "Shouldn't have done that."

Flag simply turned and started walking, "Let's move."

Everyone fell back in line pretty quickly, with Flag in the lead. Croc and Diablo were the closest to him, with Deadshot and Harley in the middle of the pack, and Boomerang and Aura trailing behind. Everyone had paired off, whether they had meant to or not.

"Told you we'd take care of him." Boomerang took the opportunity to try to get on Aura's good side.

Aura rolled her eyes, "As if your plan was to get his head blown up."

"Maybe not, but it happened. He's gone, and we know these explosives are real." Boomerang was trying to milk this for whatever he could. "Better him dead than us."

"Look, I appreciate that you were smart enough to put somebody else on that line." Aura smiled at the ground. "And I'm glad he's dead. But you also took away my opportunity to kill him."

"You seemed pretty happy to see him headless." Boomerang recognized that perhaps his milking wasn't working.

"Yeah, but it's not as satisfying as doing it myself. I was watching him for months, tracking his every move." Aura shrugged. "And you're still a fucking idiot for not believing Flag in the first place. He's the worst liar I've ever seen. I would've told ya'll if he was bluffing."

"Better to know for sure." He was losing this, and he could tell. "You're really not impressed? At all?"

"Babe, it takes a lot to impress me. You just... you don't have the right energy." Aura looked up ahead of the group. "I think I'm gonna see how KC is doing. We'll catch up later, alright?" She immediately picked up her pace, catching up to the other two metahumans.

Meanwhile, Harley and Deadshot were having their own conversation about escapes and murder. "Alright, I'm going to kill him."

"Well, you better make it quick, before he kills all of us one by one." Harley swung hr bat over her shoulder as she walked. "What's the plan?"

"I'm gonna drop him and five or seven of these SEALs. After that, I'm gonna need some help. You down?" Deadshot was calculating everything as he went, planning exactly who to take out and when.

"Always." Harley was interested, but was wise enough to want to preserve her own life. "But what are we gonna do about the shit in our necks?"

"Can't your friend help with that?" Deadshot gestured to the phone poking out from Harley's sleeve. "I saw him texting you on the way over."

Harley giggled, nodding. "He can help," She grinned at Deadshot, and threw an arm over his shoulders. "But you're my friend, too!"

"Keep it evil, dollface." Deadshot shrugged off Harley's arm. "Pass it on, let's get this thing going."

Harley dropped her pace, falling in line with Boomerang just as Aura left his side. He raised an eyebrow at her, "What do you want, craziness?"

"Well, I've been thinking..." Harley had turned up the charm, in full recruitment mode. "If we move together, we can kill all of these guys and go our separate ways. Yeah?"

"Sounds good," Boomerang didn't need much convincing to run, as evidenced by his actions ten minutes earlier. "What do you need now?"

"Tell Diablo and Killer, up there. I'm gonna grab Aura." Harley smiled at Boomerang. "I'd let you take Aura, but it looks like you just scared her off."

"Oh, fuck you." Boomerang grimaced at Harley, but she was already running up to speak to Aura. "Guess I'll take Firestarter..."

By that point, the streets they walked had widened, and everyone had spread out. Everyone was scanning their surroundings, not sure what to expect from the city around them. Energy pulsated through the air, and they could all feel it. It was all the more reason for the criminals to run.

"Psst, oi." Boomerang came from behind Diablo, trying to discretely get his attention. "We need your help, man."

"What?" Diablo could already tell he wasn't interested, but he let Boomerang go anyway.

"When the time is right, you hit Flag with a fireball; he'll be too busy burning to death to have a go at us with his final doom." Boomerang was rather proud of his proposition.

Diablo was not impressed. "And then what?"

The question caught Boomerang off guard. "Then we get out of here."

"And do what?" Diablo was far from satisfied with the answer he had received.

"What are you, bloody Socrates with all the questions?" Boomerang rolled his eyes. "Freedom, man. Freedom! You remember that, don't you?"

"You know we're criminals, right?" Diablo wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, it's great!" Boomerang completely missed the point Diablo was trying to make. "Come on, just do the bastard."

"Not gonna happen, homie." Diablo was firm, but not callous.

"Fine, your loss." Boomerang shrugged. "I have a lizard man to talk to."

"Be careful; he eats people." The last thing Diablo wanted to see that day was a man get eaten.

"Solemn mother superior, what?"

"He eats people for reals. He's a cannibal." Diablo was trying to help out, but it was no use.

"Ahh... okay," Boomerang responded sarcastically, clearly not taking the warnings seriously. He wasn't scared of a big man with a skin condition.

In the meantime, Harley had begun the process of working down Aura. "From girl to girl, I need a favor."

"I'm not helping you kill Flag or any other of these men." Aura didn't even look at Harley; she didn't need to.

"How'd ya know?" Harley cocked her head the side. "Did you hear me talking to Boomerang?"

"I know intentions, remember? Your intention is to kill all these commandos and run back to your boy toy." Aura shifted her bag on her shoulders, the negative energy in the air bothering her.

"You don't want to get out of here?" Harley questioned.

"I would love to get out of here, but I also would like to stay alive, and I do have a fucking bomb in my neck." Aura touched her neck lightly. "And I don't trust J-man to do me any favors."

"My puddin' in going to get us all out of here." Harley seemed personally offended by what she had just heard. "You don't have to believe it; it's the truth."

Aura was about to reply but was distracted by the crash behind her. The SEALs had all pointed their weapons at a pile of trash against a wall. Boomerang was in the pile, having been shoved there by an angry Croc.

"What did you say to him?" Harley hissed at Boomerang from across the alleyway.

Boomerang pushed himself from the ground, dusting himself off. "No worries, we were just having a laugh."

Aura grinned back at Croc, "Good one, KC!" She pumped her fist in the air, "Keep it up, big boy."

As Flag walked through the city, he started to feel scared. It wasn't a feeling he'd experienced before; it was new. He was walking through a scene like no other. He'd been in war zones and refugee camps; he'd been in undercover operations involving terrorists and drug traffickers. This was different than any of that. The things that had been done to Midway City could not have been done by humans. Humans couldn't melt cars or take down airplanes so easily. Humans couldn't have destroyed an entire city and left it calm hours later. It wasn't right.

The only positive in the situation was that one of Flag's longtime friends and colleagues was there: Lieutenant 'GQ' Edwards. If he trusted anyone with his life, it was GQ. Which is why when GQ said there was something ahead, he listened.

Colonel Rick Flag, Lieutenant GQ Edwards, and several members of the Alpha SEAL team were huddled behind a car, watching the creatures down the street. They were tall, and had black bubbly skin. They looked like horror movie monsters, not terrorists. "Why do they look like that, Rick?"

"Just stay cool." Flag had his rifle aimed already, prepared to shoot as soon as one of those things made the wrong move.

It wasn't just GQ who was thinking about what the creatures were. "What the hell are they?" Deadshot was standing behind Flag, his eyepiece on.

"You cut and run, and I'll blow your head off." Flag was not going to dignify Deadshot with an answer. He didn't really have time to.

A massive swarm of the strange humanoid creatures rushed them. The SEALs were trying to take them out, but the things were pretty resilient. Deadshot was getting constant headshots, but it was still only making a dent in the masses.

Harley had her six-shooter out, gleefully shooting the monsters in what would have been their faces if they had any. This was the excitement she wanted, the ability to shoot targets point blank and bash their heads in with her bat. "Batter's up!" Blunt force to the head appeared to be a pretty efficient way of taking them down, so Harley stuck with it.

Killer Croc took a similar approach in the way he was taking them down. He was the king of force, throwing bodies around like rag dolls. He slammed them into cars, against walls, and on the ground. He definitely did not need weapons to be a killing machine. His brute strength was more than enough to get the job done.

Boomerang had cracked open a beer and tucked himself away in a small alley. He was watching the action instead of partaking, for the simple reason that he didn't want to get hurt. He wasn't able to keep it up for long because one of the bubbly-faced beings dropped from the rooftop next to Boomerang and the unthinkable: knocked the tinny out of his hand. That may have been the best way to piss Boomerang off. He wouldn't stand for wasted alcohol. "You shouldn't have done that." Boomerang ripped two boomerang-shaped blades from his coat, and began slashin' and bashin'.

Aura was out of her element in the fight. She had flicked her wrists back, allowing her blades to extend from her arms, but it wasn't cutting it. She was good with a gun, but only from a distance. She could hold her own one on one, but there were too many enemies coming at her. She was spinning, slicing, and kicking with all her might, but she was getting overrun. "A little help over here!" She shouted out as her hands were forced behind her back. "These things are gonna fucking kill me!"

The yelling was enough to catch Boomerang's attention. It was a golden opportunity to finally make a good impression on Aura; just what Boomerang needed. He ran to the rescue, driving his blades into anything in his way. As it turns out, when driven, Boomerang was very efficient in his techniques. He finally pushed his blade into the head of the creature still wrestling with Aura. "Am I gonna have to do everything for you?" He smiled at her and offered his hand to pull her off the ground.

"Thanks, Captain." Aura took Boomerang's hand, getting her feet back on the ground beneath her. She could feel blood trickling from her nose, but it was alright. This was the energy she needed to feel. Criminals fighting was surprisingly very positive, and she could feel it. "Let's kick some ass." She shoved her hand forward, past Boomerang's head, piercing another one of the creatures.

Boomerang chuckled, unphased by the dagger flying past his face. "Good one."

While Boomerang and Aura fought side by side, things weren't going as great for Flag. The creatures had been going after him way more than anyone else, targeting him specifically. They weren't trying to hurt him; they were trying to kidnap him. Six of them had him surrounded, dragging him away.

GQ was shooting at the things carrying Flag, but with just one person so far away, the damage was minimal. "Flag!"

"Harley!" Deadshot was standing on top of a car, trying to gain the attention of the clown princess while still killing everything running his way. "Get him!"

Harley followed Deadshot's eyes to the gang of bubbly monsters. "Good riddance!" She laughed, thinking it funny that it was so easy to get rid of Flag.

"Harley, if he dies, we die!" Deadshot was slightly annoyed, as the waves of attackers didn't seem to be stopping and he didn't want to have to worry about protecting anyone else.

Harley rolled her eyes but followed Deadshot's orders anyway. She and GQ Edwards both made it to Flag at the same time, taking out the monsters in seconds with the use of a good pistol and a baseball bat. They each took one of Flag's hands, pulling him off the ground.

"Thanks." Flag nodded to Harley and flashed a quick smile at GQ.

"No problem, Rick," GQ spoke as he ran back into battle.

"Oh, shut up." Harley had already begun hitting things with her bat again, making sure anything that wasn't on her team was thoroughly dead.

The SEALs had started shooting bazookas down the way, and Deadshot was hopping from car to car to get the best shots. Croc was ripping the things limb from limb, using body parts from the monsters as weapons against them. Boomerang and Aura were stabbing and slicing anything that came near, while watching each other's backs.

It wasn't too long before the gunshots stopped, and everyone was just trying to breathe. It was clear that Deadshot had killed the bulk of the assailants, largely in part to his impeccable accuracy. He hopped off of the Midway City Police car he was standing on and approached Flag. "That's how I cut and run." He shoved his way past the SEALs, not wanting to stay and chat.

Harley was still hitting bodies with her bat, gleefully smashing in heads.

"It's dead. You can stop." Deadshot leaned against a truck, his eyes on Harley. "None of them have come back to life yet."

"I think I saw it move!" Harley stopped her smashing, waiting for any kind of activity from the thing she had been beating mercilessly. "At least, I think I did."

"Has anyone seen my bag? I think I tossed it when these guys came charging at us." Aura was kicking bodies and debris, searching for her beloved rifle. "I need that shit." She crouched down, trying to get a better look at what was there. Of course, her bag had to be black just like the bodies of those things. The blackness did, however, make the bright pink of a plush unicorn stick out. She scooped up the unicorn and shoved it into her jacket, hoping no one saw.

"Found it." Boomerang was a few yards away, holding up Aura's rifle bag.

"Thank God!" Aura made her way to Boomerang, taking the bag and tossing it over her shoulder. "You're more useful than I thought."

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment." Boomerang smiled at Aura briefly, but his face soon dropped. "Can't say he was helpful, though." His eyes had landed on Diablo, who had finally decided to come out of the shadows.

Aura turned her head to look at him, as well. "Hey, not cool fam. We all could've died out there."

"Trust me," Diablo raised one hand, a trail of flames following it. "It's better this way."

"Oh, you're the fire bloke, eh?" Boomerang was not impressed with the little party trick Diablo had presented.

"I used to be." Diablo nodded.

"Well, I can do fire too." Boomerang flipped open a silver zippo lighter, a small flame dancing from it's top.

Aura put on a face of shock, looking at the fire. "Oh my god, it is fire!" She began laughing, and Boomerang joined in.

"I know what I'm doing." Diablo was not amused. "Don't push it."

"Look, Diablo, when we all met, you were my favorite. You're good; you're virtuous, I get it." Aura didn't want to be anybody's enemy, but she had to make sure Diablo was listening. "But you can't leave us hanging like this. We're gonna need you."

Flag had neared the group of criminal, GQ following close behind. Flag was ready to get out of there and keep heading towards the goal.

GQ wanted more info. "The brief said terrorists, Rick. You wanna start explaining this?" GQ sounded a little more hostile than he had intended, but the meaning was the same.

"If I told you, would you believe me?" Flag wasn't prepared to answer the questions he knew he was about to be bombarded with.

"What are these things?" Harley asked the next question on everyone's mind.

"I don't know." Flag was still a terrible liar.

"Bullshit," Deadshot called him out on it, not ready to let this go. "That thing is wearing a three-thousand dollar watch. Are these things people?"

"It was, now it's not. That's all you need to know." Flag kept walking past everyone, not stopping to allow conversation. "Come on; we're moving out.


	9. Chapter 9: City Limits

Midway City had an incredible shopping district full of designer storefronts and five-star restaurants. It was one of the top shopping destinations in the country, and by proxy, one of the top robbery destinations. Four of Captain Boomerang's ninety-eight counts of Burglary were from events that occurred on the very street the team walked on. (It turns out, Tiffany & Co is pretty hard to get into) But now, there was no one shopping. Everything was abandoned, not a living person in sight. It only made sense that some of those criminal instincts would be kicking in again.

For example, Harley had stopped to admire one of the window displays. The display was covered in black and white graphics, which appeared to have been graffiti inspired. The baggy T-shirts on the mannequins all read " _Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum._ " It was your typical ready-to-wear streetwear, trying to be edgy but not entirely succeeding. The overpriced shirts weren't what had Harley's attention though. Instead, she was focused on a metallic bag sitting in one of the mannequin's laps. It was just as shiny, attention-grabbing and gaudy as the rest of her wardrobe, which meant it must've belonged _in_ her wardrobe. All it took was one swing of her bat to shatter the window, providing the satisfying sound of glass shards clinking against concrete.

The sudden noise on the otherwise silent street was more than enough to get the SEALs' attentions. The environment was already tense, and anything that sounded like an enemy was getting guns aimed at it. "What the hell is wrong with you people?" Flag shook his head angrily at Harley as he lowered his weapon. "You realize we're on a mission, right?"

Harley rolled her eyes, "We're bad guys, it's what we do!" She carefully draped the bag over her shoulder and smiled softly at the SEALs. "He said we're on a mission, that means go!"

The silence returned quickly as the troop started marching on again. There were whispers here and there, but nor really any conversations or enough talking to warrant it being a distraction. There was too much fear for anyone to speak up. The only person brave enough to speak was the one in charge: Colonel Rick Flag.

Flag and Deadshot had been leading the group side by side. They were in front of the pack, and there was a reason for that. "Hey, Deadshot, I've been thinking. If we don't start working together, no one is getting out of here alive." Flag was a real leader; he'd been doing it for a long time. He knew when things needed to change.

"And?" Deadshot, on the other hand, didn't buy into things so easily. He also had a problem with authority.

"These people respect you; you got influence." Flag knew this was going to be a hard sell, but he was going for it anyway. "You could really help bring all of us together."

Deadshot wasn't stupid; he didn't work for free. He wasn't going to be anyone's tool or stepping stone without getting something from it. "What's your play right now?"

"You're a man of your word, right?" Flag wasn't deterred. "I want my mission. You want your life and your kid back. You help me keep this Mardi Gras parade in line, and I'll hook you up."

"Waller is the puppet master," Deadshot scoffed at the offer, not believing it for a second. "You ain't got shit to hook me up with."

"I got plenty of my own strings to pull." Flag didn't miss a beat. He was a surprisingly smooth talker when necessary. "You just get me to the top of that target building and get my rescuee on that extraction helo."

"And you're gonna make sure I get paid?" Deadshot was still skeptical, rightfully so.

"And I make sure you get paid and get your fresh start." Flag nodded in confirmation, just in time for the target building to come into view. "SEALs, take a knee."

The remaining commandos and Deadshot surrounded Flag. They were all hoping to finally get some actual information on what the hell they were doing and who they were after. Anything that would provide a little bit of clarity into the hellish situation they were facing.

"Our body is at the top of that building. We get up there, pull them out of the vault they're hiding in, and helos extract us off the roof. Easy stuff." Flag was feeling pretty confident. Assuming there weren't any huge surprises, he figured Task Force X would make it to see another day.

"Check." GQ was quick to affirm the plan and was ready to move. He was eager to get on one of those helicopters and back to base.

Deadshot was not so eager. "Flag, who is up there?"

"That's none of your concern." Flag wasn't willing to divulge that information, in fear of losing the partnership he had just created.

"Do you even know who's up there?" Deadshot pushed harder, not ready to give up.

"Nope." Flag kept his mouth shut.

"Is it the president?"

"Definitely not."

While Deadshot was pushing for information, the rest of the Task Force were trying to get their own information.

They were all standing relatively close together, and no one was walking anywhere. Boomerang hadn't been paying too much attention, but he knew something was off. He saw Deadshot and Flag a few yards ahead of himself, and Harley, Killer Croc, and Diablo were all within a few footsteps distance. That left the psychic bitch he'd started taken a liking to unaccounted for. "Where in the bloody hell is Aura?" He kept his voice down, not wanting to gain the attention of Flag's crew.

Croc grunted, "I thought she was walking with you."

"She was, but she's not here now, now is she?" Boomerang's eyes darted around the street, looking for any sign of movement or red hair. "How did she get away without anyone noticing?"

"She's good at being quiet, I would know." Croc bellowed out a chuckle.

"You think one of those things grabbed her? Dragged her off?" Boomerang was more concerned than he would've liked.

"She probably just ran off when Harley smashed that window. That was the last time I saw her, and that would've been a good distraction." El Diablo chimed in, hoping to help out. "Don't worry about it, ese. She seems pretty capable on her own."

"She seemed pretty adamant about not running, though." Boomerang shook his head, his nerves not coming down at all. "Somethin's wrong. She wouldn't just run."

"Hey, have any of you seen Aura?" Harley spoke up out of nowhere. It was evident she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation her teammates were having, nor did she think to keep her voice low enough that Flag wouldn't hear.

"You fuckin' drongo!" Boomerang exclaimed rather loudly, now visibly upset. "Do you not have a volume button?"

"Where's Aura?" Flag had risen to his feet and was approaching the group. "Where the fuck is Aura? Someone better start talking."

"That's what we were trying to figure out, mate. We don't know." Boomerang threw his arms up in frustration. "She was with us a few minutes, then she disappeared. She's probably already dead with all those things out there."

"How did we lose a person?" Deadshot was equally as shocked as Flag, and almost as angry.

"Waller is not going to be happy if I have to detonate two of these bombs before we even finish the first mission." Flag lifted his left arm, the screen attached to it lighting up.

"No, no, no." Boomerang was not standing for that. "You're not killing her. She hasn't done anything to hurt the mission."

"I don't want to kill her; I actually think she could be useful." Flag was tapping away on the screen, scrolling through menus. "But I can't have a rogue metahuman out here. Too dangerous."

"What are you doing there?" Harley gestured to the screen. "You blew up Slipknot with one button."

Flag sighed, coming upon the information he was looking for. "She's still alive; her vitals are looking fine. Her energy fields are messing with the GPS though, so I can't see where she is." Flag looked back up at the other members of his team. "She's the last one I thought would run."

"She wouldn't!" Boomerang agreed. "She wouldn't just disappear for no reason."

Flag wasn't left with many choices to deal with the situation. He did the only thing he thought he could do before pulling the metaphorical trigger. "Aura, if you can hear me, you have thirty seconds to get where I can see you." He was shouting as loud as he could, hoping maybe Aura would hear him. "Thirty seconds and your head will be all over this concrete like Slipknot's. You wanna die like that?"

No one moved a muscle, and no one said a word, as the seconds ticked by.

"Ten seconds left!"

Flag lifted the screen again, prepared to touch Aura' portrait and end her life. "Five Seconds, Aura!"

"Colonel, while I do respect the military, I don't think the dramatics are necessary for this situation." Aura rounded the corner of the block, a grin plastered across her face, and a blue bag in her hand. "Seriously, I was just taking a little detour."

Flag looked angrier than he had the entire mission. "If you go out of my sight again, I will not hesitate to kill you. I will not hesitate to splatter your brains all over the street. Do you understand me?"

"Colonel, yes sir." Aura dropped her smiled and nodded. "I understand, Colonel, and it will not happen again."

"Good, now let's go. We're running behind." Flag turned back towards the target building and started marching forward.

Aura waited until Flag was a ways away before the smile returned to her face. "Guess I'm on thin ice now, huh?"

"Where the fuck were you?" Boomerang was relieved to have Aura back, no doubt. But he also angry that she had run away, risked her life, and scared everyone else. "

"I was hungry, I found a 7-11 and grabbed a snack." Aura wasn't phased even as she felt the waves of anger coming off Boomerang.

"Chex mix?" Croc interjected, guessing what exactly Aura had gone after.

Aura held up the blue and white bag still clutched in her fist, "Ayyyyy, Chex Mix!" She took the opportunity to tease Croc for his knowledge of her snack preferences. "KC, I knew you paid attention when we worked together. You DO care about me! That scaly crocodile heart in your chest might be working after all."

"I ain't got no heart." Croc rolled his eyes but cracked a smile.

"You almost died, because you wanted Chex Mix? You are ridiculous; you are insane." Boomerang was frustrated, and he needed to get it out. He pointed his finger towards Harley next, "And you, you almost got her killed because you had to yell. The commandos wouldn't have even noticed she was gone if you hadn't gone and opened your mouth!"

"Don't blame me because she ran." Harley crossed her arms as she walked down the street. "All I did was ask where she was."

"No, you yelled, at the top of your bloody lungs that she wasn't here." Boomerang hissed through clenched teeth. "You're the worst criminal here; You're loud, and you don't think about what you're doing. Look at you; you've been in this game for less time than any of us, and you've spent half of that time locked up. I've been doing this for ten years, and I've been arrested once; all of us have only been arrested once, except you. What's this? The fifth time you've been captured? The only reason you got back out the other times was because Joker broke you out, and guess what, he's not coming this time. No one is coming for you, or anyone else."

Harley stopped dead in her tracks and looked over her shoulder back at Boomerang. "None of you were arrested because it wasn't worth the time. You're all at the bottom." She looked ahead and started walking again, "And my Puddin' is coming for me. He always does."

"The bottom, really? You think the world's most wanted burglar is at the bottom of the list? You think two of the most wanted assassins in North America are at the bottom? You think the most feared gang leader in California is at the bottom? You must be thicker than I thought." Boomerang hadn't slowed down, the words pouring out of his mouth.

"I'm not stupid; I'm a doctor." Harley rolled her eyes, "You, on the other hand, are every negative Australian stereotype in one person. You have daddy issues and blame all your problems on the world because you couldn't possibly be responsible for anything wrong in your life, right? You wouldn't be an alcoholic if your dad were there when you were growing up. You might have a wife and kids if only you'd had two parents... Newsflash, Boomerang. You made your own decisions; you are the reason you are in this situation."

"I'm... I'm not an alcoholic." There it was, something that did indeed slow him down.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put my eight years of schooling to use on the partners is crime up there," Harley smirked and skipped up to KC and Aura, leaving Boomerang trailing behind the pack.

"Fuckin' bitch," Boomerang muttered to himself.

"So, KC, why do you eat people?" Harley was determined to analyze everyone now; get inside their heads.

Croc thought for a moment before answering, "It gives me their power."

"Would you like to eat me?" Harley stepped in front of KC, looking up at him.

"Hell no," Croc shook his head. "I don't want your crazy."

"Says the guy who lives in a sewer!" Harley scoffed.

"At least I know it's a sewer." Croc shrugged it off. The ramblings of a tiny blonde psychopath weren't going to bother him.

"Oh, I get it! Cause like, this is a sewer too. With nice shops and restaurants, right?" Harley sarcastically feigned understanding before breaking into her diagnosis. "Hate humanity much? Let me guess... Mommy didn't take you to Chuck E Cheese on your sixth birthday... Still dealing with the scars of a bad childhood. I can recommend a good therapist!"

Croc raised a fist, but Aura put her arm on his. "Don't listen to her; she's more messed up than any of us."

"I'm not so sure about that; I think you have plenty of your own troubles in your head." Harley moved her attention to Aura, "You lost your whole family, didn't you? You were young, but not too young. I wanna say... thirteen?"

"Blame your boyfriend, bitch." Aura's face had started to turn pink; a chord had been struck. "I was fourteen."

"You could feel it, couldn't you? With your little powers, you felt them die." Harley could tell she was getting somewhere. "You were close to your dad, and you felt him die. What was that like?"

"Ya know, Harley, I've felt a lot of people die. Usually, I'm the one that kills them. It's weird, feeling that energy disappear. It doesn't go anywhere; it just fades away until everything that made that person them, is gone." Aura was quick to pull the revolver from her holster and place it against Harley's forehead. "There's no heaven; there's no hell. There's just death and nothingness. Wanna see?"

"You think I'm scared of you?" Harley wasn't intimidated. "You wouldn't pull that trigger if your life depended on it. You like to consider yourself a vigilante; protecting battered women like me."

Aura lowered her gun, but kept her eyes locked onto Harley's, "I'd love to protect you, but I think you're a lost cause. That's not to say I don't have every intention of taking out the J-man, and he knows it, but I don't think it'll help you." Aura put the revolver back in its holster. "I don't need you to be scared of me. The J-man already is, and that's what matters."

"If you think my Puddin' is scared of you just because he killed your family, you really don't know him." Harley dropped back, not wanting to continue talking about her lover. Instead, she wanted to get into the minds of probably the most damaged person there: El Diablo. She didn't even have to start the conversation; he did it for her.

"Why? Why are you doing this to them?" Diablo disapproved of Harley's actions; she was purposely stirring up problems.

"Because I'm bored! I need a victim, someone who's mind I can pry apart and spit in." Harley didn't waste time; she just jumped right in. "Like you, you have some serious survivor's guilt going on here."

"Leave it, mate. She's a rabbit hole, don't fall in." Boomerang cut Harley off, stepping next to Diablo. "She doesn't really know what she's talking about anyway."

"Suit yourself, I've still got one more I can check out." Harley knew Deadshot had been listening in on her, so she might as well give him equal treatment.

"Don't even think about, it dollface." Deadshot wasn't willing to partake in the games Harley was playing. "In fact, why don't you stop acting like a drunken stripper and start being nice."

"You wanna tell me what the hell is going on, then?" Harley shot back as she approached. "Cause, uh, I smell a rat."

Deadshot grabbed Harley's arm and pulled her to the side of the street. "If they don't blow our heads off, we're going to have to fight our way out of this city. I need you play nice with the other children."

"And return quietly to my cage?" Harley nodded, but she was a little hurt. "Sure, it's okay, I get it, I get it, sellout. I know how the world works, okay? And when it comes to the heart, everyone for themselves, right?"

* * *

Congragulations on making it this far! New chapters will be uploaded regularly, so follow to be told first. Have ideas? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Leave a review!

Thanks for reading, until next time.


	10. Chapter 10: Tall Towers

The John F. Ostrander Federal Building stood taller than virtually any other building on Midway City's skyline. Standing on the concrete sidewalk below only emphasized the height, and reminded everyone that they had to get all the way to the top, even if the building was full of the bubble monsters or the structure was compromised.

Flag, GQ, and the rest of the SEALs had positioned themselves low around the front of the building, guns aimed in case anything was going to come rushing out at them. Flag gripped the walkie on his vest, speaking into it softly. "Waller, we're outside the building. Have the chopper ready." He was hoping to get some information on what was going on inside, but he wasn't given the time to.

"What do you say we get this over with?" Deadshot was walking past the SEALs, and towards the building.

"What the hell?" Flag kept his voice low, not wanting to gain the attention of any potential enemies in the area. "Deadshot! Fall back!"

Deadshot ignored Flag complete, and instead reached for the silver handle of the door of the building. The door didn't open; it shattered, the handle coming off of it as soon as he pulled on it. "Shatterproof glass, wonderful." He muttered to himself as he walked into the tower, the sound of glass crunching under his feet.

"Dammit." Flag raised to his feet and kept his rifle up. He rushed into the building to catch up with Deadshot. "Mind if we join you?"

The remaining SEALs and Task Force X followed suit, cautiously scanning their surroundings. Everyone had their weapons at the ready, as they all expected a fight. The place had clearly been torn up; papers were scattered over the floor, tables and chairs were turned over, and there were mysterious gray stains on the otherwise impeccably white walls. The damage didn't happen on it's own.

"How many of those things do you think are in here?" Boomerang had ended up back at Aura's side, and he wasn't complaining about it. "Hey, can you sense them with your energy field stuff?"

"I can't really see them, no. It's like they're on a different frequency; like I'm on a radio station one over from them. I can pick up something blurry every once in awhile, but I can't tell where it's coming from." Aura shrugged. "And I'd guess there's more in here then there were out there."

"Yeah, about being out there; we made a pretty alright team." Boomerang inched forward, his eyes darting around the lobby. "Maybe we should do that again, in here. Watch each other's backs."

Aura rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yeah, sure thing, Boomer. I'd rather not die, after all."

The pair approached the information desk in the middle of the lobby. Flag and Deadshot were standing behind the desk, looking at the monitors resting on it. They were showing various camera feeds from around the building; nothing on any of the screens was moving, not a bit. That was a good sign- maybe those creatures had already abandoned the building.

"Oh, look at that, Aura. Looks like we got a spot of luck, here! This should be a walk in the park." Boomerang smiled, relaxing a bit. "Easey peasy."

"Don't make me shoot you." Deadshot wasn't in the mood for messing around. He wanted to get to the top of the building and get out of there.

"C'mon mate, I'm just having a laugh." Boomerang chuckled. "Grin in the face of tragedy, I believe is the saying."

"Nope, not a saying." Aura shook her head at Boomerang, "Just something I said on the helicopter over here."

"Well, it should be a saying." Boomerang leaned against the counter, trying to get a better look at the screens. "Really does look easy, though."

"Do you two ever shut up?" Flag was the one scolding this time. "Quiet."

 ** _Ding_**

Everyone's heads turned towards the noise, only to see a glass elevator rising with Harley inside, waving back at them.

"Dammit, Harley!" Deadshot's voice came out in a whisper yell as everyone rushed for the nearest set of stairs.

Harley had a pretty good reason for separating herself from the group: she'd felt that tiny little cell phone vibrate and couldn't risk looking at it if someone else was going to see. She absolutely could not miss out on reuniting with her Puddin', which is why as soon as she was out of sight, she peered at the screen of her phone.

 **FROM JOKER:**

 **I am close be ready...**

Harley's face lit up like a kid finding a puppy under the tree on Christmas morning. Perhaps she wouldn't have to deal with this insufferable group of wannabes much longer. Instead, she would be back in the arms of the most genius criminal mastermind to ever live. Her life would return to the way it was: beautiful parties, fast cars, and enough murder and mayhem to keep her entertained. One simple text message had sent her brain into fantasy mode, and she was enjoying the break. Until one of those bubbly faced monsters dropped from the ceiling of the lift and wrapped its hands around her throat, that is.

She thought quick, punching it a few times with her left fist while she retrieved her revolver with her right. Then it was a simple pull of the trigger to the approximate area of a human temple, and the thing was down. Harley rolled her shoulders back, and looked at her reflection in the glass; she fixed her ponytails and admired her own appearance.

That too was cut short when a second attacker swung through the glass and slammed her against the door of the elevator. She used her position to her advantage, and flipped the monster over, giving her enough time to strike it a few times with her bat. It recovered after each swing, though, and caught her by the waist. She struggled to break free for a moment, but figured out a way to utilize the environment within the second. She ran her feet up the wall, flipping herself over the monster, and providing enough momentum to give a killing blow.

The rest of the crew was waiting at the top of the elevator shaft, weapons drawn, when the elevator opened its doors. Harley strutted out triumphantly, not a drop of fear or doubt being exuded from her. "Hey, guys!" She walked past them, only pausing when she realized they weren't following. "Come on, let's go."

Everyone was dumbfounded. No one knew what they were expecting, but it wasn't an unscathed Harley and two dead bubble monsters. Despite the questions running through the heads of pretty much everyone in the room, no one asked anything; they knew they wouldn't get an answer anyway.

Flag pushed his way back to the front of the team, and gestured to the double doors across from the elevator. "We have to go through this office, and get to the stairs on the other side. The second level of elevators isn't going to be safe; we have to climb to the top. Good news is, it's a straight shot up once we get to the stairs. The bad news is, I think we might have some unfriendly company before we make it there." He looked at the mix of criminals and war heroes in front of him, and gave a single nod. "Let's go."

The office the team entered was far worse off than any other part of the building they'd seen. Most of the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling had been broken, causing the room to be almost totally dark; the only illumination was provided by lights outside shining through the glass wall on the far end of the room. The dim glow was enough to see that everything had been torn apart. The drawers had been ripped from desks, file cabinets overturned, chairs broken. It was clearly a disaster area.

"I don't like this, Flag." Deadshot wasn't stupid, he knew what was about to happen; the fact that he had to wait for it made it much worse.

"I don't like it either." Flag shrugged; the feeling of dread had once again settled in, and it wasn't an enjoyable feeling in the least. The only comfort he felt was the knowledge he had a very capable and resilient team standing by him.

"Good to know you aren't stupid." Deadshot did not feel that same comfort; if this fight were anything like the last, he was going to be the one leading and doing the brunt of the work. However, he was prepared for it. He pulled his white mask over his face, eyepiece in place.

Harley smirked at the addition of the face protection and eyewear, finding it amusing. "Pussy."

"I will knock your ass out, I do not care that you're a girl." Deadshot would've liked to berate Harley longer for her unneeded comment, but the chance was lost when half the ceiling tiles broke open and bubble-faced monsters dropped through.

The room immediately erupted in gunfire. Any glass that hadn't broken before that point was within the minute. Bullets were flying in every direction, pinging off of metal and ripping through flesh. Everyone was in a much closer proximity than last time, which had its advantages and disadvantages. Advantage: It was easier to hit your target if they were three feet away from you. Disadvantage: It was easier to hit your ally when they were three feet away from you. The SEALs with large guns and plenty of body armor were in their element- some of the criminals, not so much.

Captain Boomerang and Aura both typically relied on stealth in their criminal careers. Boomerang was a robber- his career depended on breaking into banks and museums undetected. Sure, he could take a beating better than most, and he'd tussled with guards when necessary, but a brawl setting like this was not his usual. His weapon of choice was a boomerang, and that simply didn't work in such a small space with so much activity. Aura actually fared worse: she was a sniper, first and foremost. She had rarely interacted with her targets since her partnership with Croc had ended; she usually kept her distance and only came near her victims when they were already critically wounded. Sure, she had spring-loaded blades on her wrists, but they were more for show than anything at that point in her career.

The pair did have one thing going for them: their fighting styles were similar, and their reflexes were fast. They stood side by side, the Captain with his razor boomerangs and Aura with her wrist blades, slashing and stabbing anything that dared to come near. They were mostly successful, too.

Meanwhile, Deadshot had found a vantage point. He stood on top of a desk in the center of the office, placing him significantly higher than anyone else in the room. He could see everything that was happening, and shoot nearly anything there. He was covering everyone and was still getting more hits than anyone else. He took extra care to keep Harley in his sights because frankly, he didn't trust her. Harley didn't need an eye on her, though. She was handling herself fine; her bat and pistol were enough to keep her efficient.

Killer Croc was the only one fighting without weapons. He used only his brute force to kill. He could disembowel a man with his nails; he could throw a man twenty feet with one arm. He was ripping bubble-faced monsters in half with ease. It wasn't as quick as a bullet, but it looked a lot cooler. If Diablo had wanted to, he could've put on an even more impressive show; however, he didn't. He stood in the corner, not fighting, not moving at all.

"Fuck me!" Boomerang's shouts were muted by the gunfire, but they were still there. He'd been tackled by one of those of creatures, pushed through a room divider. "Aura! Pay attention, woman!"

Aura had misplaced her focus; she was trying too hard to get a read on Diablo and had nearly forgotten to watch Boomerang's back. The only thing that reminded her was the sound of his voice. "What?" She turned her head, just in time to see a knife plunged into Boomerang's chest. "No!"

Boomerang reached his hand up, slit the throat of the monster, and pushed it off of himself. He sat up, looked down at the knife sticking out of his chest, and sighed. "Bloody typical." He pulled the blade from his torso, a stack of fifty dollar bills coming with it.

"You're... okay?" Aura was surprised to not see even a single drop of blood, but was more shocked by the thousands of dollars Boomer had kept hidden. "Where'd the cash come from?"

Boomerang grinned up at Aura, the stunned look on her face granting him plenty of pleasure. "You think you're the only one who can sneak off for a minute?" He got back on his feet, stashed the money back in his coat, and tossed the knife to the side. "C'mon then, we have a fight to finish."

"God, you're fucking arrogant." Aura scoffed at Boomerang. "You could've died."

"And it would be your fault, now wouldn't it?" Boomerang shook his head as he moved past Aura and back to the brawl. "Now you have to make it up to me, love."

"Shit." Aura muttered as she shook her head, following behind Boomerang. "Last thing I need is to owe you a favor."

On the other side of the office, Colonel Rick Flag was truly struggling to keep himself afloat. He was being targeted, an extremely high amount of the monsters were going straight for him. GQ was on his back, but everyone else was mostly focusing on their own bubble. It wasn't until Flag was being dragged across the floor that any member of Task Force-X took notice.

"They're after Flag!" Deadshot's voice rang out over the sound of bullets, even as he shot his own at Flag's captor. "Circle up, protect Flag! Circle up!" Deadshot had a very commanding presence; even through all the noise, he had gained the attention of his teammates, and they did as they were told. Harley, Boomerang, Aura, Croc, and all of the SEALs had created a protective ring around Flag.

"Let me fight!" Flag attempted to muscle himself away, but it did little for him.

"If you die, we die," Deadshot answered back to him, still shooting. He wasn't going to lose his life because Flag wanted to be a hero, not a chance.

Luckily for Flag, the rest of the bubble-faced monsters in the room were quickly picked off. He pulled out of the circle and gave Deadshot the sourest look her could. He wanted a partnership, not to be second in command. He was the leader, he was the boss. "Move out!" He turned back to the (now mostly shattered and broken out) glass wall separating the office from the balcony. It was their ticket to the stairs.

As the gang walked onto the balcony, though, they were once again hit with gunfire. This time, it was coming from several floors across the way; there were more of those monsters than they'd seen yet, and they were further away, which could've proved to be a problem. Sure, the SEALs could shoot, but they only had so much ammo. And Task Force X? The only one with a rifle suitable for the situation was Deadshot. The revolvers Harley and Aura carried weren't quick to reload, nor were they very accurate from a long distance. Aura was also beginning to realize her sniper rifle may not be the most practical weapon when in a hostile environment like that one.

With an endless hail of bullets and lack of weapons to defend themselves, some of the fighters had taken shelter. Harley tucked herself back in the office, safely behind a thick concrete pillar. Aura and Boomerang had each independently taken the same actions: drop and cover. They were both belly-down on the ground, commando crawling in the direction of the stairs. The bullets simply bounced off of Croc, so he made no action. Diablo was also making no action, something that Deadshot was not happy about.

"Where you been Homie?" Deadshot had removed his mask and turned to face Diablo. He stared him down, looking into his eyes.

"This ain't my fight!" Diablo growled in return, "This ain't my fight, man."

"You know what? You don't stand for shit!" Deadshot yelled back, "You don't fight for shit, you don't stand for shit, you aren't shit." Deadshot had cornered Diablo, an obvious intimidation technique.

"Don't tell me what I stand for." Diablo was trying to remain calm, but he could feel a spark deep in the pit of his stomach. "Don't push me."

"Don't push you? Don't push you?" Deadshot shoved Diablo against the wall, "Come on, show me something.

"Don't touch me, man." Diablo shoved back, "Don't fucking touch me!"

"Show me something then." Deadshot knew he was getting somewhere, he could see the change in Diablo.

"You wanna see something?"

"I wanna see something!"

"I'll show you something." The spark in Diablo's stomach had grown into a raging fire, and he couldn't contain it any longer. He threw Deadshot out of the way, raised his arms, and let it loose. Streams of fire poured from his palms, stretching across to the opposite balconies and burning up everything that could be burned.

"Holy shit..." Aura, still lying on the ground, wasn't looking at the flames or the bodies tumbling down several stories. She was staring at Diablo himself. "He's red, like, really really red."

"He's shooting fire from his hands and you're focused on the fact that you see red?" Boomerang was once again confused by Aura. "You're not impressed with the fact that he's barbecuing those things?"

"You don't understand, I've never seen someone change colors like that. Most people don't change colors hardly at all; just slight variations. He just went from blue to pure red. The strongest, purest red I've ever seen." Aura was beyond fascinated, "It's like it's not him, it's something else."

The fire slowed, and Diablo was shaking. He dropped his hands to his sides, shaking his head. "You satisfied?" The words were directed at Deadshot.

"We needed you, I was just trying to get you there." Deadshot's words were apologetic as they were going to get coming from him. "Phil Jackson. We good, right?"

Harley emerged from the office, a grin on her face. She threw her arms around Diablo's neck and kissed his cheek. "I knew you'd come through for us!"

"This shit is crazy." Deadshot shook his head.

On the other end of the balcony, Aura and Captain Boomerang both stood up and dusted themselves off. They took almost the exact same actions: wiping off their jackets, picking plaster from their hair, and rolling their necks. Aura recognized their behavior as being similar, something she was not particularly happy about. "What's happening here, Boomerang?"

"I think Hellboy over there just saved all of us," Boomerang smiled, thinking himself clever. "And I think we're almost out of here."

"That's not what I meant." Aura sighed in return; she knew Boomerang was going to avoid talking about anything real with her. "Don't play dumb."

"Oh, I know it's not what you meant, but it's really not important." Boomerang shrugged, "We just met, darling. Don't go thinking about things too much."

"You're a pain in the ass." Aura rolled her eyes.

"I knew that too," Boomerang chuckled at Aura, but redirected his attention as the rest of the team approached. "Where to now, King Commando?"

Flag ignored the name-calling, thinking it wasn't worth the energy to deal with Boomerang. "Through that wall and straight up." He gestured to the concrete panel to his left, "GQ, if you could blow a hole there, it would be great."

"Yes, sir." GQ nodded and immediately took a knee beside the wall with another soldier. They started to work, setting up an explosive.

"Alright, I'll be in front on the way up. I want Boomerang, Aura, Harley, Diablo, and Croc behind me. GQ and his boys behind them, and Deadshot following in the back." Flag looked around at his team, wondering to himself how they were working together so well. He had expected his soldiers and Task Force X to be at each other's throats. "We're almost out of here."

"Clear!" GQ shouted as he detonated the explosive, the concrete giving way to a grey stairwell. GQ and the other soldier then stood aside, allowing room for Flag and the criminals to go through.

One by one, Flag, Harley, El Diablo and Killer Croc stepped through the man-sized hole and started up the stairs. (KC did have to widen the hole a bit to fit through.) When it got to Aura and Boomerang, things slowed down. "Ladies first," Boomerang attempted to usher Aura inside, but she didn't move.

"Then go on through, I'll catch you if you fall down the stairs." Aura had crossed her arms, waiting to follow Boomerang. "Go."

"Ya know, I was trying to be chivalrous and you immediately decided to insult my manhood." Boomerang was perplexed by Aura's rapid switching between acting interested and disgusted with him. "What's your problem?"

"It's not chivalry if the reason you wanted me to go first was your intent to stare at my ass. That's, like, the opposite of chivalry." Aura pursed her lips together, waiting for the surely brilliant response from Boomerang.

"I forgot you could do that whole intentions thing." Boomerang climbed through the wall, pausing for Aura to respond.

"That was actually just an educated guest. I more can tell if someone intends to cause harm or good, can't really see the exacts." Aura shrugged, knowing she was going to piss Boomerang off, "You're just predictable, I guess."

"Low blow, there." Boomerang "How do I know you aren't going to stare at my arse?"

"Boomerang, babe, you'd have to have an ass for me to stare at it." Aura mocked as she finally entered the stairwell, allowing the flow of people to begin again. "Plus your coat is so long I couldn't see anything if I wanted to."

After a few flights, Harley stopped and leaned against the railing of the stairs, looking down. Her breathing was heavy, "I really need to work on my cardio." She seemed dazed, something that Deadshot noticed as he came up the tail of the group.

"Harley?" Deadshot said her name, but there was no response. "Harley!" He was louder the second time, and he got her attention: in the form of her revolver in his face. "Whoa, whoa, easy there; it's just me."

Harley looked as if she were about to cry, and she didn't lower her weapon. "You ever been in love, Lawton?"

Deadshot hated hearing his own name spoken in this environment, but he didn't dare correct Harley. "Nah, never been in love."

"Bullshit." Harley spat back in Deadshot's direction.

"You don't kill as many people as I have and still sleep like a kitten if you feel shit like love."

Deadshot hoped he was saying something that wouldn't get his head blown off, but he wasn't sure. Harley was hard to read.

Harley lowered her gun, "Huh. Another textbook sociopath." All at once she seemed to return to normal, and she turned to run up the stairs and catch up with the others.


End file.
